Apple’s ARKit just made augmented reality (AR) mainstream - and together with the Maps SDK for Unity, will fundamentally change the types of location-based apps that developers can build.
Using ARKit plus Maps SDK for Unity allows you record your bike ride up to Twin Peaks in Strava and project the map of your route on your coffee table. As you plan your next vacation over dinner, you’ll be able to open your Lonely Planet app and have the Big Sur coast hovering in front of you as you browse the different camp sites. Or, when you’re at work appraising a property for flood insurance, you could just tilt up your phone and see the flood plain in front of you, and which parts of the property are susceptible to flooding. Or, when you’re teaching a geology class you project the evolution of Pangea in 3D for students to visualize instead of being limited by 2D images in textbooks.
Apple announced ARKit as part of the upcoming operating system update: iOS 11. ARKit is a framework for developers to build augmented reality experiences. It uses Visual Inertial Odometry (VIO) to combine camera sensor data with motion data, allowing the iPhone or iPad to sense how it moves within a space with a high degree of accuracy. The software is specifically designed for the sensors on iPhones and iPads, allowing the lens to blend digital objects and information with the real world environment around you. This is not trivial; prior to this AR devices have required special camera and motion sensors only found in specialized devices.
By introducing ARKit on standard iPhones and iPads, Apple has made AR technology accessible to everyone. As a result, this mobile AR software has the potential to reach 4 times the number of users of dedicated mobile AR hardware.
Apple just launched the iOS 11 public beta yesterday and will have an official release date in mid-September. Today there are roughly 117M compatible devices would have access to AR technology - this number will grow by 66% to almost 200M by the end of the year. This means that AR will no longer require special hardware as it has in the past; suddenly there is a huge market for AR enabled application.
Now maps can go beyond a screen, freeing developers to build apps that project into the real world in entirely new ways. The Maps SDK for Unity allows any developer, from seasoned AR pros to newer iOS developers dipping their feet into 3D, to benefit from real-world location in AR.
With iOS 11 and ARKit, Augmented Reality will become an inherently mobile experience where location context is critical. In use cases like navigation and mixed reality games, understanding where you are and what is around you will become even more important. For businesses, it may become more meaningful to know the purpose of the building rather than the height. ARKit allows you to not only understand your location, but also visualize it on top of the real world. This will fundamentally change how we think about and view digital maps, bring mapping and location out of their traditional boxes.
Apple’s timing of ARKit is spot on with 70% of consumers believing that AR/VR will become mainstream in media, education, work, social interaction, tourism and retail. Others are looking at this $83 billion market as well, from Facebook’s acquisition of Oculus back in 2014 to Google’s Project Tango and to Snap’s Lenses - each company has their own approach. But by launching an AR framework on a high volume device, Apple is in the lead for mass market AR applications. That means that app developers will be able to leverage those capabilities for higher value applications helping Apple to grow its share of the handset and application markets.
We’re already seeing developers build some great demos with just a few lines of code. We look forward to more. If you’re working on something, let us know by sharing it with us on Twitter using the hashtag #BuiltWithMapbox.