The year should be under the seal of augmented reality, with this promise of a headset that Apple could present in the spring. In a more humble but much more affordable way – since all you need is an iPhone or an iPad – the Apple Store app would help escalate the sauce a bit!
The augmented reality experience at Apple Park Visitor Center.
According to Mark Gurman, who announces it in his outspokenly lavish newsletter brimming with rumors of all kinds, the app would actually get augmented reality capabilities if you walked into an Apple Store. The idea would be to target a product or accessory (an Apple Watch strap or a Mac) for information on prices and features, all displayed over the image captured by the smartphone.
Apple has been working on this new feature since 2020 and iOS 14 and has been in the testing phase in its stores for a few months. An API open to third-party developers would allow them to integrate this technology for other stores. Although Apple offers a very rich toolbox for the development of augmented reality apps with ARKit, the manufacturer uses its technologies sparingly when it comes to its own apps.
There’s the augmented reality journeys from Plans, the little winks from the Keynote invitation cards, and a few isolated initiatives (for the For All Mankind series, for example). But Apple isn’t using it very heavily…while waiting for the mixed reality headset, no doubt.