Category: Apple Insider

Apple on Wednesday unveiled two new iPad Pro models that come equipped with a LiDAR Scanner, which will offer major improvements to ARKit and photography.

The new 11- and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models are the first of Apple’s devices to feature the 3D laser system, but they likely won’t be the last. Here’s what you need to know about LiDAR, how it improves current iPad Pro models, and what other future Apple devices could feature it.

What is LiDAR?

At the most basic level, LiDAR is a time-of-flight system that shoots low-power lasers at an environment. Using the reflections, it calculates the distance to objects and points in the environment, and creates an accurate 3D depth map or rendering based on the results.

Apple’s own proprietary take on it, simply dubbed the LiDAR Scanner, likely has a few more tricks up its sleeve. Apple says it can measure the distance to surrounding objects up to 5 meters away and operates “at the photon level at nano-second speeds.”

The iPad Pro LiDAR Scanner is used to create depth mapping points that, when combined with camera and motion sensor data, can create a “more detailed understanding of a scene” according to Apple.

What could a LiDAR Scanner be used for?

Among Apple’s existing features, LiDAR will have the biggest impact on augmented reality (AR) and Apple’s own ARKit framework. Apple says the new LiDAR Scanner will allow for instant object placement, indicating that users wouldn’t need to “scan” their environment before an AR app loads.

Along with improvements to motion capture and people occlusion, the LiDAR Scanner will also make the Measure app much faster and more accurate. Measure will now include a new Ruler View for more granular measurements going forward, too.

While Apple didn’t specifically mention it, LiDAR will improve photography too. Take Portrait Mode, which the 2018 iPad Pro only supported in front-facing mode. With an actual 3D depth map of an area instead of using lens-based calculations to determine depth, Apple could add rear-facing Portrait Mode to the iPad Pro and improve the feature’s accuracy and speed.

Is the LiDAR coming to other devices?

Apple’s LiDAR scanner has launched first on the new 11- and 12.9-inch iPad Pro, as was previously rumored. But the system is also largely expected to arrive on some 2020 iPhones, too.

The latest information, pulled from code within an iOS 14 leak, suggests that a time-of-flight camera will arrive on both the “iPhone 12 Pro” and the “iPhone 12 Pro Max” this year.

On those devices, a LiDAR Scanner will also bring the same improvements to ARKit apps and photography. But combined with Ultra Wide Band technology, it may also be useful in applications such as indoor navigation and item tracking.

LiDAR for vehicular applications

LiDAR is a new addition to Apple’s handheld devices, but the Cupertino tech company has actually been actively using them for years in other applications. Apple vehicles with LiDAR sensors have been spotted in California as far back as 2015. The technology is considered a crucial part of the development of autonomous vehicles, particularly so they can accurately analyze their environment.

Amid rumors of Project Titan and the “Apple Car,” the company appears to be steadily investing into LiDAR and other related research for vehicular applications, including a slew of patent applications related to the tech.

And in a rare public-facing example of its research, Apple also published a research paper in 2017 detailing LiDAR-based 3D object recognition systems for self-driving cars. Essentially, the system leverages the depth mapping of LiDAR and combines it with neural networks to vastly improve the ability of a self-driving car to “see” its environment and potential hazards.

 

By William Gallagher
Monday, March 23, 2020, 02:34 am PT (05:34 am ET)

Despite previously cancelling the planned AirPower charging mat, an unsubstantiated new rumor claims that Apple is revisiting the idea, and is even at the prototyping stage.

AirPowerwas a rare public failure for Apple, as it was announced in 2017, but was ultimately cancelled in 2019. At the time, Apple did not give specific reasons for why the project was dropped, though, and now a new rumor claims that it has revived its plans for the wireless charging mat.

Jon Prosser has tweeted that the project has resumed, and that it has even reached a prototyping stage. As he says, this is not evidence that Apple will ever actually release a product, but it is significant that it has gone beyond design and into testing.

Prosser, who describes himself as a tech analyst, has only a limited track record in Apple rumors. However, he did correctly report when Apple was showing AirPods Pro to media ahead of their official launch.

Also, his report comes after established analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed, in January 2020, that Apple was planning to release what he only described as a “smaller wireless charging mat,” in the first six months of 2020.

Kuo did not call this mat AirPower, and the claim that it is “smaller” suggests that it wouldn’t have the AirPower’s ability to charge an iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods simultaneously.

Consequently, if there is a revised AirPower being prototyped, it may not be the same device as this smaller mat.

However, it does also fit with what Apple said when it cancelled the original AirPower. After saying that it was not going to achieve “our high standards,” and apologizing for it, Apple added one extra comment.

“We continue to believe that the future is wireless,” said Dan Riccio, senior vice president of Hardware Engineering at the time, “and are committed to push[ing] the wireless experience forward.”

 

By AppleInsider Staff
Friday, March 20, 2020, 06:39 pm PT (09:39 pm ET)

Apple on Friday confirmed customers who left an iPhone, iPad, Mac or other product at an Apple Store for repair will not be able to claim their device until the locations reopen.

When the Cupertino-based tech giant shuttered all branded retail stores outside of China on March 14 in response to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, it granted customers a two-day window for repair pickups. As AppleInsider reported this week, that period expired on Tuesday.

Owners who were unable or unwilling to make the trip will now be left without their device until Apple Stores reopen, Apple said in a statement to Business Insider.

“We made every possible attempt to get people’s products back to them,” a company spokesperson said. “There certainly are people that, for whatever reason, did not pick up their products before we closed and their products are at our stores.”

Apple is taking a different tack with devices that were sent out to a repair center. Typically, those units are mailed back to a nearby Apple Store for pickup, but during ongoing store closures Apple is attempting to contact owners for direct return.

Apple Stores were initially scheduled to reopen on March 27. That timeline was brought into question early this week when the company published a banner on its website saying retail locations in the U.S. and abroad will remain closed “until further notice.”

 

By AppleInsider Staff
Tuesday, March 17, 2020, 06:30 pm PT (09:30 pm ET)

Fox became the latest major media corporation to step into the world of streaming on Tuesday with its all-cash acquisition of Tubi, an ad-supported service that hosts a variety of popular television series and movies.

Under terms of the deal, which was financed in large part with funds Fox gained through a sale of its stake in Roku, Tubi will remain a separate entity and retain current CEO Farhad Massoudi, reports The Wrap.

With a user base of 25 million people as of December, Tubi offers a range of movies and television shows from partners including Lionsgate, MGM and Paramount. Fox plans to leverage the platform for its own content, though the creation of originals, a mainstay of streaming leaders like Netflix, is not currently planned.

“Tubi will immediately expand our direct-to-consumer audience and capabilities and will provide our advertising partners with more opportunities to reach audiences at scale,” said Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch. “Importantly, coupled with the combined power of Fox’s existing networks, Tubi provides a substantial base from which we will drive long-term growth in the direct-to-consumer arena.”

Fox’s acquisition follows similar moves from entertainment companies looking to take a slice of the booming streaming segment. Most companies are concentrating on subscription-based offerings, though some are experimenting with free-to-stream services. For example, ViacomCBS purchased Pluto TV for $340 million in 2019, while Comcast acquired Xumo in February. Sony also offers an ad-supported product in Crackle.

Tubi content can be streamed on the web and on a number of portable and set-top device operating systems, including iOS and tvOS, via native apps.