Apple’s AR/VR ambitions are alive and well, judging by a peek inside of the forthcoming iOS 14 platform.
MacRumours says it has ‘obtained‘ a photo from within the operating system showing a controller similar to the one that ships with the HTC Vive.
While this is unlikely to be the controller that ships with whatever Apple decides to release, there have been reports Apple have been using the Vive controller while testing its own rumoured AR/VR solution.
Elsewhere, MacRumors has obtained a screenshot of what appears to be a ‘crosswalk bowling game’. What’s that you ask? Well, it appears to be a ten-pin bowling game (pictured) you can play while you’re waiting for a pedestrian crossing to change to walk.
It’s probable that this game is only for testing purposes, rather than an experience Apple plans to roll out as a game for the headset, but it’s interesting nonetheless. The game can only be played at a particular crossing close to Apple’s offices in Sunnyvale, California. The report says that is 5 miles from the main Apple Park HQ.
Related: Apple AR headset latest
This is the first we’ve heard about Apple’s mixed reality plans in a while, so it’s good to know contemporaneous work is happening. Apple is thought to be stepping up its efforts in augmented reality given the LiDAR Scanner within the brand new iPad Pro. The same scanner is likely going to be included on the new iPhone 12 models also.
The latest word suggests that Apple might eventually launch AR/VR hardware at some point before 2022. The headset has been rumoured for years, but Apple tends to take its time with bringing products from a brand new category to market, as it did with the Apple Watch, which launched long after smartwatches from other companies, but came to dominate the market almost instantly.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
