The Apple iPhone 8 is reportedly getting a new 3D camera feature. Earlier rumours indicated that Apple is working with LG to develop the 3D camera technology for a next-gen iPhone. Now, experts say that the 3D camera would lead the company towards making augmented reality possible on its smartphones.
Apple CEO Tim Cook stays upbeat about augmented reality and considers it "as big as the smartphone" itself. Apple has acquired startups like PrimeSense, Metaio and RealFace, and has reportedly integrated them into a group of 1,000 engineers working on augmented reality tech for iPhones. According to most analysts, this 3D camera technology is seen as the next big technology driver for iPhones.
UBS' top Apple analyst Steven Milunovich believes that the next-gen iPhone will offer facial recognition and potentially release an AR SDK to enable content creation. Milunovich expects Apple to continue enhancing the camera technology and introduce hardware upgrades to iPhones and iPads in order to support 3D imaging cameras over the next 2-3 years.
Andrew Gardiner of Barclays believes that the 3D camera will come to Apple's anniversary iPhone, which is also being referred to as iPhone 8 or iPhone X. He believes that chipmakers like AMS, STMicroelectronics and Lumentum will be the suppliers for implementing the new technology. "Comments from a number of optical and light sensing component companies over the last quarter or two have reignited discussion of the additional functionality to come in smartphones," Business Insider quotes excerpt from Gardiner's research.
Morgan Stanley, meanwhile, believes Apple will use PrimeSense's technology to enable 3D sensing on iPhones. The report says 3D sensing will be enabled using a light source, and controlling optics, an image sensor and a firmware chip. While Apple seems certain to enable AR technology on iPhones, Morgan Stanley questions the appeal of augmented reality among consumers.
The latest research from UBS, Barclays and Morgan Stanley correlates with previous rumours citing KGI Securities' Ming-Chi Kuo. It seems evident that Apple will bring facial recognition to next-gen iPhones, but the augmented reality application is likely to be reserved for iterations farther into the future.