3D photography has never taken off in the same way as the two-dimensional art form, but the To remedy this, Apple has created the iPhone and Apple Vision Pro. If they are successful, it may alter how we create and recall memories.
That ambitious objective is far from certain. After all, Apple’s introduction of the Vision Pro (its “first 3D camera”) was simultaneously the most interesting and creepy part of a launch that often felt like a Black Mirror outtake.
The long list of meme-worthy Vision Pro launch moments means it’s easy to forget that Apple announced a device that captures “spatial photos and videos in 3D”. That’s a significant achievement given that the company’s previous camera (aside from the iPhone) was the Apple QuickTake in 1994.
The Vision Pro, on the other hand, is a camera that you have to wear on your face, and Apple’s almost comical demo sparked widespread ridicule, even among those who were involved in its development. This does not imply that 3D images and videos will always be considered niche products. The Apple Vision Pro simply needs a gadget that can record those “spatial” memories while concentrating on the playback process.
The iPhone and iPad will most likely be those 3D cameras. And while all of this will probably happen too soon for the iPhone 15, the iPhone 16 or perhaps the iPad Pro next year could upgrade Apple’s current Lidar scanner with the required sensors and software to transform it into the spatial cameras that the Apple Vision Pro so desperately needs. If so, 3D pictures and videos may end up being the newest camera features for smartphones.
Memory Palace
It’s important to note that Apple is not the only business investigating the potential of three-dimensional memory storage. The idea itself goes all the way back to the first stereoscopes in the 1830s, but more recently we’ve seen the invite-only Wist (below) promise to let you shoot “immersive memories” on your phone that can then be re-lived on headsets like the Meta Quest 2.
The development of 3D scanning apps like Polycam, which is the most widely used app for iOS and Android, is a related trend. Chris Heinrich, the founder of Polycam, told us that the spatial photos taken by the Apple Vision Pro are an exciting development and that current phone cameras will need to change in order to capture them.
“Regular photographs and images have a very flat appearance in 3D and do not utilize the hardware’s full potential in comparison to 3D or stereoscopic content, according to Heinrich. However, full 3D scans are different from the three-dimensional snapshots produced by the Vision Pro. “The spatial photos and videos that they [Apple] announced are not proper 3D models, but rather stereoscopic photos which produce a 3D effect, and perhaps allow for some small head movement,” he adds.
Despite the fact that spatial photos and 3D scanning apps are two entirely different animals, Polycam believes the two will probably coexist in many apps. “We anticipate that Apple will let third-party developers import spatial photos and videos from the Photos app like they do regular photos and videos,” Heinrich adds. “And if this is the case, we will likely support importing, viewing, and editing spatial photos and videos with Polycam”, he adds.
Future Gazing
The concept of recording 3D memories may seem like a gimmick to many people. After all, 3D TVs—to which the Apple Vision Pro is undoubtedly the natural successor—were one of technology’s biggest failures. Additionally, stereo cameras like the Fujifilm FinePix Real 3D W1 failed to make an impression on culture ten years ago.
However, even prior to the release of the Vision Pro, an increasing number of experts were praising 3D photography as the most significant development since the invention of digital photography. The next question is how quickly it might finally take off now that Apple has entered the fray.
The obvious inference from the Vision Pro launch was that the iPhone 15, which is expected to debut in September, would undoubtedly be able to capture spatial images and videos for Apple’s headset. Chris Heinrich from Polycam claims that it might not be quite that straightforward.
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Source: techradar
