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Apple Inc.'s New iOS 11.3 Looks Like a Huge Update

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Apple Inc.'s New iOS 11.3 Looks Like a Huge Update

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Apple's next version of its popular iOS 11 operating system looks like a winner.

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Back in September 2017, Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) announced the newest version of its mobile operating system, known as iOS 11. The new iteration of iOS saw the addition of augmented reality-specific capabilities, a totally redesigned App Store, an enhanced version of Apple's Siri voice assistant, and improvements to Apple Music, Apple Maps, and Apple Pay.

It was a pretty big deal.

Apple generally continuously updates the latest version of iOS in the year following its launch. These updates often include bug fixes, security patches, and even significant feature additions. On Jan. 24, Apple put out a press release detailing all of the new feature additions that'll be coming to the next version of iOS 11, known as iOS 11.3.

But this isn't your average mid-cycle software update. Let's go over the key features, shall we?

AR, Animoji, and batteries

Apple said in its press release that iOS 11.3 will include an updated version of the company's ARKit, a suite of software development tools designed to make developing augmented reality (AR) easier.

This new version of ARKit, known as ARKit 1.5, will apparently include a lot of new functionality such as the ability to "recognize and place virtual objects on vertical surfaces" as well as the ability to "find and recognize the position of 2D images" and then place those images properly in augmented reality applications.

iOS 11.3 is also expected to include additional Animoji, which are emoji that can take on the facial expressions of the user, through the iPhone X's depth-sensing TrueDepth Camera and the Apple Neural Engine embedded in Apple's A11 processor. Apple says that iOS 11.3 includes four new Animoji, bringing the total number of Animoji supported by the operating system to 16.

Somewhat related to that, Apple also says that it's adding a feature called Business Chat to its Messages app, which allows users "to communicate directly with businesses right within Messages."

"With Business Chat, it's easy to have a conversation with a service representative, schedule an appointment or make purchases using Apple Pay in the Messages app," Apple says.

Apple also says that iOS 11.3 includes new features that inform users about the health of the batteries inside of their devices. It will also tell users when the batteries in their devices need replacement. They will be able to see if the performance of their devices is being reduced to "prevent unexpected shutdowns," and they will even be able to opt out of the performance reduction.

What this means for Apple

Ultimately, much of the value that Apple delivers with its iOS-based products is in the software. Indeed, one thing that Apple tends to do better than its competitors is quickly roll out new versions of its iOS operating system to every supported device.

Apple also tends to provide software support for its devices longer than many (if not all) its competitors do, which is widely viewed as a key value proposition for iOS-based devices.

The new features that Apple is including in iOS 11.3 look quite interesting and should meaningfully improve the functionality of all supported devices, though the iPhone X is the biggest winner here since it's the only currently available iPhone that supports the production of Animoji.

This release is unlikely to have much of an impact on Apple's business, but it seems like a solid step forward for Apple's iOS that'll keep users engaged in the platform.

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Apple Inc.'s New iOS 11.3 Looks Like a Huge Update

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Back in September 2017, Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) announced the newest version of its mobile operating system, known as iOS 11. The new iteration of iOS saw the addition of augmented reality-specific capabilities, a totally redesigned App Store, an enhanced version of Apple's Siri voice assistant, and improvements to Apple Music, Apple Maps, and Apple Pay.

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Apple's Augmented Reality Efforts Gain Steam

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Apple's Augmented Reality Efforts Gain Steam

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Apple’s ARKit is becoming a popular platform with developers.

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Over 13 million augmented reality (AR) apps built with Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL) ARKit have been downloaded since its release with iOS 11 last September according to app intelligence firm Sensor Tower. 47% of ARKit-only app downloads during those six months were games, compared to 35% in the month after iOS 11's release.

"ARKit-only" apps exclude "ARKit-compatible" games like Niantic's Pokémon Go, which is possibly the most popular AR game in the world. Sensor Tower claims that the most popular free ARKit-only game is PlaySide Studios' virtual pet simulator AR Dragon, which lets users train a dragon in real-world surroundings.

PlaySide Studios' AR Dragon. Image source: Playtime Studios.

Other popular apps include AR measuring tapes, AR children's books, AR furniture placement apps, and AR photo and video apps. Sensor Tower estimates that there are over 2,000 AR (both ARKit-only and ARKit-compatible) apps in Apple's App Store.

That's a tiny sliver of the 2.2 million apps which are available on iOS, but it marks progress for the fledgling industry. Let's take a closer look at ARKit, and how it could shape the future of the AR market.

What is ARKit?

ARKit is an API (application programming interface) that lets developers build AR apps by accessing an iOS device's camera, CPU, GPU, and motion sensors. Apple claims that ARKit, which only works on Apple A9 and higher processors, delivers "breakthrough performance that enables fast scene understanding" which lets developers "build detailed and compelling virtual content on top of real-world scenes."

ARKit works alongside several other frameworks and APIs. Apple's Core ML (machine learning) framework accelerates tasks that require artificial intelligence, like image recognition. Its Depth API, which senses the distance of objects, lets developers access the dual cameras in the iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X.

Image source: Getty Images.

Its Core NFC (near-field communication) framework gives developers limited access to the NFC chips in iPhones, which lets apps interact with nearby sensors. Apple's recent ARKit 1.5 update adds wall detection and improved computer vision. This means that ARKit apps will be able to "see" and place objects on walls.

Alphabet's (NASDAQ: GOOG) (NASDAQ: GOOGL) Google also recently launched a similar platform, called ARCore, for Pixel and Galaxy 8 devices running on Android 7.0 and above. ARCore replaces Google's older Tango AR platform, which it introduced three years ago. Yet there are only about 60 ARCore apps on Google Play -- which puts it behind Apple in the AR race.

A $134 billion market opportunity

The AR market might seem like a niche, but it could grow from $3.3 billion in 2015 to $133.8 billion in 2021, according to Zion Market Research. Zion expects that growth to be supported by AR apps for smartphone and tablets, new AR headsets, AR glasses and contact lenses, and customized AR devices for various industries.

Google and Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) have already taken steps into this market. Google relaunched Google Glass for enterprise customers last year, while Microsoft is selling the developer's version of its mixed reality Hololens headset for $3,000.

Microsoft's HoloLens. Image source: Microsoft.

Apple's moves are more subtle. It acquired several AR/VR firms, including Metaio, Faceshift, Emotient, Flyby Media, SensoMotoric Instruments, and headset maker Vrvana.

It filed patents that show an AR headset for the iPhone, assembled a secretive AR/VR team, and hired Virginia Tech professor Doug Bowman, one of the top VR experts in the country, to lead those efforts. It added new depth-sensing cameras and computer vision chips to its latest iPhones, and showcased some AR and face-tracking features with its Animoji feature for the iPhone X.

Some industry watchers think that Apple will eventually launch an AR headset for iPhones, since its patents show a headset that presumably turns an iPhone into a cheaper version of the HoloLens. However, Apple could still be trying to build an app ecosystem before it launches AR hardware for the masses.

A "big and profound" market

AR is still a tiny market, and it certainly won't move the needle for Apple anytime soon. But the growth of ARKit, especially in contrast with Google's lackluster start for ARCore, indicates that Apple has a bright future in this market -- which CEO Tim Cook called a "big and profound" one during a conference call last year.
More From The Motley Fool Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Teresa Kersten is an employee of LinkedIn and is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. LinkedIn is owned by Microsoft. Leo Sun owns shares of Apple. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Alphabet (A shares), Alphabet (C shares), and Apple. The Motley Fool has the following options: long January 2020 $150 calls on Apple and short January 2020 $155 calls on Apple. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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Apple's Augmented Reality Efforts Gain Steam

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Over 13 million augmented reality (AR) apps built with Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL) ARKit have been downloaded since its release with iOS 11 last September according to app intelligence firm Sensor Tower. 47% of ARKit-only app downloads during those six months were games, compared to 35% in the month after iOS 11's release.

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ARKit 1.5 examples show how vertical surface mapping upgrades augmented reality in iOS 11.

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ARKit 1.5 examples show how vertical surface mapping upgrades augmented reality in iOS 11.

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New ARKit enhancements will be coming in iOS 11.3 in the form of ARKit 1.5. New changes will bring improved surface mapping, an increase up to 50% in resolution, and more.

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New ARKit enhancements will be coming in iOS 11.3 in the form of ARKit 1.5. New changes will bring improved surface mapping, an increase up to 50% in resolution, and more.

Notably, the biggest and most exciting change is that ARKit will now be able to map vertical surfaces, in addition to horizontal ones.

While it seems ARKit hasn't lived up to the hype since its introduction with iOS 11, ARKit 1.5 could inspire a new wave of developers to start creating with the platform.

Since the iOS 11.3 beta release, many developers have begun working on new ARKit apps and some have shared their work on Twitter.

For example, Andrew Hart uses ARKit 1.5 in a library to determine book titles, prices, and ratings online.

A fun demo comes from developer Andrian Budantsov who demonstrates virtual balls bouncing off of real surfaces such as his desk and monitor.

While our own Guilherme Rambo shows us reference detection by replacing ghosts with the 9to5Mac logo.
Check out 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Apple news:

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ARKit 1.5 examples show how vertical surface mapping upgrades augmented reality in iOS 11.3

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New ARKit enhancements will be coming in iOS 11.3 in the form of ARKit 1.5. New changes will bring improved surface mapping, an increase up to 50% in resolution, and more. Notably, the biggest and most exciting change is that ARKit will now be able to map vertical surfaces, in addition to horizontal ones.

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Stay ahead of the competition with AR based iOS apps developed in ARKit 1.5 version

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Stay ahead of the competition with AR based iOS apps developed in ARKit 1.5 version

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ARKit 1.5 has been in demand after its release with Apple's 11.3 version. In case you are looking to develop an iOS app for your business, app developed with ARKit 1.5 version is the one you should go for.

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Apple’s augmented reality tool kit can now detect walls and 2D images in beta

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Apple’s augmented reality tool kit can now detect walls and 2D images in beta

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Apple is rolling out an upgrade to its augmented reality toolbox, ARKit, to developers in a beta version today. ARKit 1.5 adds a few marquee features including one big one: wall detection.

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Apple is rolling out an upgrade to its augmented reality toolbox, ARKit, to developers in a beta version today. ARKit 1.5 adds a few marquee features including one big one: wall detection.

Up until this point, ARKit has been focused on offering horizontal plane detection, allowing developers to know where the 'floor' is that it can then use to orient or place objects in 3D space. This left the picture well short of allowing for full 3D spatial recognition of a given field, though, as that horizontal plane would essentially go on forever, ignoring walls or other vertical surfaces.

With this update, ARKit can now recognize vertical surfaces and place objects onto those surfaces. It can now define those surfaces in conjunction with horizontal surfaces as well. Imagine a game that allows you to throw darts at a wall, with the target mounted to an actual wall, rather than floating in space.

When ARKit was introduced, I asked around about how hard it would be to get vertical plane detection done without an 'active' sensor of some sort. The consensus was that it was theoretically possible, just a lot harder because vertical planes like walls typically have less defining features that allow for easy plotting by a planar detection system. Basically, if it's a smooth white wall, it's hard for the camera to tell it's a solid object.

Google's ARCore has supported some wall detection previously. Apple's version of wall detection will detect planes that are vertical or just off vertical but not heavily angled initially.

In addition, ARKit gets an update to horizontal plotting to allow for better recognition of irregularly shaped objects like circular tables or chairs, and line detection. The overall tracking has been improved in speed and accuracy as well.

ARKit will now also display the 'real world' at a full 1080p, an upgrade over previous versions which shipped the video components out to users at 720p, making the "real" parts of the scene look worse than the "fake" parts. So that's a nice bump.

Another upgrade that seems fairly minor at first but could get very, very interesting later on is computer vision-based image recognition. If there are 2D images in the scene, say a poster or piece of art on a wall, ARKit can now parse the images and allow developers to map their physical position in a space and on a surface. This would allow for placement of related objects nearby, floating text, audio triggers - you name it.

The immediate applications are fairly clear. You walk into a museum, point your camera at a painting and the painter appears in front of it to talk about the artwork or even to show you how they painted it. If it's a poster of a rocket launch, the rocket appears on the floor in front and you get a recreation of the launch.

The implications down the road are even more exciting. What happens, for instance, when you can slap a sticker on a wall which can act as a marker that ARKit can recognize without external libraries? It can then project out objects or scenes based on that marker. And some of the back end systems that I know other developers are working on rely on computer vision to create a persistent spatial map that can be used to 're-place' objects or scenes very precisely between AR sessions or between different people at different times. This will help with those.

Lots of possibilities from these new additions and this isn't even a full version release, just a point update. I know that a lot of fuss has been made that there are only about 2,000 apps that are using ARKit at the moment, but I'm not convinced that there will ever be a valid need for ARKit to be implemented in the majority of apps. Or rather, or the big spatial components of it as it's also becoming a nice computer vision toolbox. Frankly many existing AR enabled apps are pretty crap.

With AR, instead of 'many apps' I think we're going to see 'many experiences'. There will be enabling apps or tools, but the experiences themselves will be universal. But I also think that this won't become apparent to most commentators (or customers) for a while. For now, a nice iteration on the initial release of ARKit.

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Apple's augmented reality tool kit can now detect walls and 2D images in beta

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Apple is rolling out an upgrade to its augmented reality toolbox, ARKit, to developers in a beta version today. ARKit 1.5 adds a few marquee features including one big one: wall detection. Up until this point, ARKit has been focused on offering horizontal plane detection, allowing developers to know where the 'floor' is that it can then use to orient or place objects in 3D space.

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ARKit Development Case Studies: Augmented Reality in iOS Applications - DZone Mobile

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ARKit Development Case Studies: Augmented Reality in iOS Applications - DZone Mobile

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See how augmented reality in iOS mobile apps and the solutions making it possible, such as iBeacon, enable navigation, face recognition, and more.

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The rapid rise of Augmented Reality from being just one more tech industry buzzword to a part of everyday life has been impressive. Millions of users of mobile devices now have access to AR technologies thanks to the advent of tools like ARKit for iOS devices. In a variety of real-life situations, we've been able to apply a number of non-standard AR solutions to good effect. It's also important, however, to be aware of the technological constraints that must be overcome in order to achieve the goals set forth by the companies we've built relationships with as our clients.

ARKit Basics

In many ways, augmented reality applications are similar to how visual effects are utilized in the film industry. The big difference, though, is that AR performances are done on mobile devices in real time.

The augmentation process has three steps. First, an existing scene must be tracked. Second, it has to be transformed into something a machine can understand. Finally, computed 3D overlays have to rendered onto the scene for the viewer.

Data is fed into ARKit from cameras, accelerometers and gyroscopes. In order to be properly processed, a scene must be lit well and properly textured. There also must be a flat surface for visual odometry and a static scene for motion odometry. If the environment fails in one of these regards, ARKit declares one of three potential states: not available, normal or limited.

It's generally possible for us to place an object on or close to a surface in the real world. With ARKit 1.5, recognition of vertical surfaces and images has been made possible.

A number of standardized solutions are available, and they can be rapidly built into any app. Our interest, however, is in creating brand new experiences. The App Store is currently littered with AR apps, but we want to take a big-picture look at what augmented reality can accomplish. To be noticed in the market, it's critical to create something new. Additional attention goes to those who can accomplish what was previously claimed to be impossible.

Case: AR in Non-Static Scenes

Following the announcement of ARKit, we initiated development of a product that allows vehicle passengers to see AR objects applied to the outside world while looking out from moving vehicles. The official documents for ARKit said it was only capable of being applied to static scenes. Consequently, it was expected to provide unreliable performance matching visual and motion data if the user was moving at the same time, as would occur in a car or bus.

There is actually a very simple solution to this problem. Geographic coordinates beyond the vehicle can be employed to create a custom tracking solution that makes use of periodic local updates. By adding compass data and calculating intermediate positions, we were able to place objects in scene accurately.

A new challenge emerged: vibration. Barely noticed movements of virtual objects often occurred when the real image was jostled. This posed a variety of technical issues, as common image stabilization solutions would not necessarily provide high enough accuracy. For example, the calculation for movement between 360- and 2-degree angles would yield an average of a 181-degree angle, an entirely different direction.

We obviously don't want the image to lag when the user quickly moves the phone. Employing an adaptive algorithm, we were able to use input data as a solution. Small vibrations, such as shaking, lend themselves to the application of a smoothing algorithm. Major movements change the view angle rapidly, and the solution is to recognize the difference and adjust the scene without smoothing.

Case: Scaling

ARKit has a built-in preference for real-world scale. For the majority of applications, this readily simplifies placing objects on surfaces. Perspective and distance, however, start creating trouble quickly. Placing a sign above a building that's far away, for example, will lead to the sign being barely noticeable. Signs either have to be scaled proportionally by distance, or they have to be transformed based on coordinates that are projected on an unseen sphere.

We used the second solution. The coordinate system is different from the user's perspective, but it renders the same in AR. This prevents excessive numbers of objects mapped on a scene from appearing to close to each other.

Case: AR and Indoor Navigation

Mobile users have a strong expectation of being able to pull out their devices and have access instantly to maps and routing information, even if they're in a foreign city. This breaks down, however, when people are inside buildings like airport terminals or shopping complexes. Google and Apple have created detailed maps of many of these types of sites in order to accommodate demand.

One of the biggest problems that emerges, though, is that GPS tends to operate poorly in indoor spaces. It also struggles to derive accurate information about users who are at different levels of the same building.

One of the possible solutions is iBeacon, a small Bluetooth device that periodically supplies small packets of data to solve the issue. Beacons need to be positioned at multiple locations to allow devices to triangulate their positions within a large, multi-story structure.

A number of problems accompany using this method, though. Foremost, beacons have operating ranges that are limited to between 10 and 100 meters depending on the model in use. Signals also can be blocked by everything from walls to people. Third, a device must be able to obtain pings from at least three active beacons in order to provide accurate triangulation information. In many settings, it would be prohibitively expensive to deploy enough beacons to accomplish the goal of providing precise triangulation for indoor navigation.

The arrival of ARKit 1.5 opens up new opportunities in this sector. Through the integration of machine vision technologies, we now were able to take a different approach. By placing marks with location-based metadata in areas, we were able to use floors and walls to provide accurate reference information. The device now only needed to scan a single mark to attain accurate 3D coordinates for the user. An added bonus comes from the fact that printed images, signs and panels could all be incorporated as marks.

That provided us an excellent starting point, but we also needed to supply routing information. 3D layering, though, presented a unique perceptual challenge for users. Humans expect routes that go past barriers such as walls and corners to be occluded, but the software perceives the entire route.

Three possible solutions were worth considering.

1. The first was to utilize a compass instead of mapping out the entire route. This, however, would break norms that are expected by users.

2. The second was to clip the route past a certain distance from the user. This had a certain virtue of speed in implementation.

3. The third was to build a model of the structure with a low polygon count using the existing maps-that was the solution we opted to pursue.

The third approach had the advantage of being both high-quality and cost-effective. When looking down a long corridor, the route would be visible the whole way to the next corner, creating a sense of naturalness in large areas. If a corner was present, the route would be visibly clipped. Users would have an easy time understanding it, and they would be able to use it from many vantage points in expansive spaces, such as airports.

Case: Faces and AR

The TrueDepth camera is presently designed exclusively for use on the iPhone X. The underlying principles are still the same with AR, as scenes continue to be tracked, understood and rendered. Once ARKit has done the job of processing incoming data, we're able to work up a great deal of information. Tracking data, as always, is available. We also have access to facial geometry and a corresponding face mesh to work within the AR environment. A number of blend shapes are available, allowing us to calculate various facial parameters, such as how open the user's eyes are, how much they've raised their eyebrows and whether their mouth is moving.

This type of AR has already been in use for facial masking for a while. Anyone familiar with the classic Snapchat filter or the animoji craze will recognize the common consumer-grade applications. We're driven, though, to look at applications that are more sophisticated.

Here is an example. Sportspeople benefit from seeing demonstrable progress in order to sustain motivation. An individual trying to lose weight or gain muscle mass may have a hard time perceiving the results they've achieved. Fluctuations of several kilograms as a consequence of recent food consumption are completely normal. Something as simple as clothing may make information inaccurate.

One of the simplest ways to monitor these changes in fitness is to track changes to the face. As a person becomes more fit, the face itself tends to become sharper. Utilizing the TrueDepth camera, an app can monitor and log changes in order to deliver motivational data.

The role that ARKit can play in creating unique and compelling products is huge, especially when the skills of a capable development team are applied. Augmented reality provides a number of functional solutions for a variety of business needs, and it will become more commonplace in the near future. We're thrilled by the opportunities within the market, and our team looks forward to continuing to work with clients to move the limits of what can be achieved using AR.

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ARKit Development Case Studies: Augmented Reality in iOS Applications - DZone Mobile

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The rapid rise of Augmented Reality from being just one more tech industry buzzword to a part of everyday life has been impressive. Millions of users of mobile devices now have access to AR technologies thanks to the advent of tools like ARKit for iOS devices.