Apple has continuously worked on their AR apps for the last few years, regardless of what the rumors are saying. There have been reports of Apple shutting the entire project down, pushing any release back a few years, or even firing the entire AR/VR teams. None of these have any factual evidence, as Apple is pushing for stereo AR now more than ever. Now, a developer has cracked the encoded StarTester inside of iOS 13.1 for our first look at stereo AR from Apple.
In the source code before the Apple event, the beta version of iOS 13 had multiple mentions of a stereo AR system inside of the operating system. This lead many people to think that Apple would be releasing a headset like Google Cardboard, or even a full headset of its own that is powered by the iPhone, at the keynote. That never happened and some forgot. xSnow didnt, as he has been able to access the AR systems through an iPhone X. You can check out his first tweet about this below.
He has been able to put the phone into test mode with StarBoard, even with all of the hardware limitations that came with the 2-year-old phone. The iPhone XS and XS Max were next in his testing process, and those newer phones blew the X out of the water. They say that the the XS and XS Max were by far a superior experience. This would make all of the sense in the world, as the older models don’t have the same chip as the next years models, and not this years models either.
This AR operating system is clearly made for the newest iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max. These phones a the A13 bionic chip, the most powerful ever seen in not only an iPhone, but in any smartphone in the world. It also no surprise that this phone as an increased field of view that is possible through the third camera.
Uncovered in more framework, the 13.1 beta framework, inside of the ARDevice.framework, the “devices” have their own field of views. Each have their own name, and each one gets slightly better. This may be the different devices that will be supported by apple for AR, or they might the different different versions of headset capabilities. Whatever it is, it is a big sign of the headsets and how close they are to being finished.
Although this first AR/VR headset is going to be powered from your iPhone, this is only the beginning of the company in this field. There has been rumblings of the Apple teams working on glasses, a full immersive VR headset, and even both of those mixed. This is only the start of what could be Apple’s next big step in the tech industry. Only time will tell, but this is sure to be big release.
Whenever Apple decides to release the AR headset and the full versions of the software and operating system, it is sure to be a hit. Whatever Apple does, it always leads the industry. Even if they aren’t the first to the party of releasing the product, they are sure to be the best with time. Their products are durable, intuitive, and most of all, nice. If you have owned Apple products in the past, or you are reading this on an Apple product, you know the level of craftsmanship that is put into every single device and design. For more AR and VR news and updates, make sure to check back at VRGear.com.
