I heavily agree with the article “iPhone 13 is further proof that the phone is quietly turning into an AR machine”. At first I thought that it may just be coincidental as the rollout of each new AR-related feature came separately with each new model, and upgrades to the camera and processing power could be due to increasing reliance on mobiles particularly in Asia where the mobile gaming market is very successful and in general as a reaction to more advanced technology rolling out. However, all added together it does seem very directed towards the iPhone becoming the main brain of Apple’s upcoming AR system as they mention in the article, namely because of the lidar and the U1 chip useful particularly for indoor location tracking. Certainly the lidar may be used in conjunction with the camera for purely photographic use, to better track field of view and focal point of videos/images but the data that the lidar outputs can be used for so much more, such as AR/VR uses and even further functions such as terrain mapping, etc.
This goes in conjunction with what is reported of apple in “Smartphones Are on Their Way Out, and Augmented Reality is Coming to Replace Them.” According to the report, they may be planning to ditch the iphone entirely in favor of AR/VR instead. With sales of AR/VR going up and development constantly becoming more advanced, it’s certainly possible that apple may be heading in such a direction.
The main point of the same article “Smartphones Are on Their Way Out, and Augmented Reality is Coming to Replace Them” is something I completely disagree with, at least within their timeline of smartphones being replaced by AR in just a single decade. As the old saying goes, “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” Of course this does not apply to everyone, but I certainly know of people still holding onto their old 90’s flip phones and landlines today. Surely many consumers will be interested and perhaps hyped about this new technology, but practically, individual preference will most likely hinder this timeline pretty hard. Even if AR/VR does make the major strides necessary to be competitive with smartphones, I’d liken it to trying to replace a computer with a smartphone, which just isn’t really realistic. People will always prefer a certain input method, visual display type and size, which AR/VR inherently cannot bring as these are the core attributes that sets it aside from more traditional monitor-based devices.
Also, I am fairly skeptical of the quote, “These companies are hoping to shift away from the smartphone by the end of the decade…” referring to not just apple but also Google, Microsoft, etc. Demand has just as much effect as supply does on the former. Whether it be of price tag, or personal preference as previously pointed out, consumers will not just buy whatever they’re handed, and companies will not invest that which will not generate profit. Overall, I just don’t see 2030 as a realistic deadline for this change.