We Might See An Ikea AR App In Apple's Upcoming iOS Ikea is reportedly planning on letting iPhone owners see how furniture looks in their homes before purchasing it from the store.
By tbreak
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We know that iOS 11 is going to focus on VR and AR when it comes out later this year. Meanwhile, Ikea's Michael Valdsgaard might have spilled the beans on how Ikea will be involved. Briefly mentioned with iOS 11 at the WWDC keynote earlier this month, Ikea is reportedly planning on letting iPhone owners see how furniture looks in their homes before purchasing it from the store. According to reports, the technology is going to be so accurate that you'll be able to place items to the exact millimeter.
"This will be the first augmented reality app that allows you to make reliable buying decisions," Valdsgaard told Swedish outlet Digital.di. "When we launch new products, they will come first in the AR app." He added that Ikea is hoping to have 500-600 catalog items ready to view in 3D at launch. However, the company is rushing on getting the technology ready by the public release of iOS 11 and the iPhone 8 unveiling in September. Apple is expected to feature AR-enhanced cameras on the iPhone 8, and CEO Tim Cook has also been discussing the potential of AR.
To make things easier, Apple has also developed its ARKit tool for developers, which will help ensure a smooth and stable AR experience on Apple devices. On the other hand, if Apple releases its AR tech by September, they could get quite ahead of Microsoft's HoloLens in the AR race.
This article was originally published on tbreak and has been reposted on Entrepreneur Middle East based on a mutual agreement between the websites.
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