Showcasing AR, New 3D Cameras Are Expected in New iPhones Slated for 2020

Apple Doubles Down on Cameras for New iPhones, Pushing Augmented Reality Experiences and Greater Depth Accuracy

Image via Apple

According to a report published by Bloomberg, Apple is set to launch new iPhones next year with powerful 3-D cameras to make access to augmented reality features more consumer-friendly. The 3-D camera is expected to be rear-facing and to scan the nearby environment, creating three-dimensional reconstructions of the real world for up to 15 feet away. This is a significant leap from current technology that is forward-facing, uses infrared technology and only extends as far as 25-50 centimeters (0.82-1.64 feet) away and is used primarily to power up Face ID facial recognition technology.

The new system employs a laser scanner, a new third camera, a more powerful chip and better photo capturing tools. Together, these new features will offer an enhanced augmented reality experience with greater depth perception and accurate placement of virtual objects within an environment. This new system would enable an iPhone user to overlay visuals and data onto a real view world using AR technology and is expected to have multiple applications from construction to manufacturing. In addition, Apple is expected to also create an AR headset (instead of the existing VR headsets you can purchase today from other companies).

The third camera allows for a larger field of view, a wider zoom range and greater pixel capture. Also, the company is testing out features to automatically repair photos and videos where some footage was accidentally cut off the initial shot, both for photography frames and for video footage (via its Live Photos Feature) up to six seconds, pinning video from before and after each shot.

Laser Time of Flight (ToF) Camera System Can Improve AR

A time-of-flight (ToF) camera system employs a laser to calculate the time that a laser needs to bounce off objects in a room and then uses the data to create an accurate 3D image of the surrounding area. This system offers more accurate depth perception and better placement of virtual objects than prior existing models. Sony may be Apple’s supplier for the new laser system as the two companies are conducting sensor tests. The first use of this new system may be announced via a new iPad in 2020 before the new iPhones are released.

Updated iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR to have 3 Cameras in 2019

Apple is also expected to launch updated versions of the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, code-named D42 and D43, as well as an update to the iPhone XR. Theses iPhones are also expected to have three cameras on the back. Despite declining sales of the iPhone at the end of 2018 as consumers are upgrading less often, Apple’s new line of iPhones with specialized cameras could spark new growth. All three high-end iPhone models will also have upgraded Apple processors and updated Face ID sensors for unlocking the smartphones and approving payments. Other expected changes include accommodating plants for 5G networks in 2020.

Apple is also testing out iPhones with a USB-C connector instead of the Lightning port. The USB-C connector is in wide use today and Apple has used the Lightning Port since 2012. The testing indicates that Apple may be planning a switch to USB-C.

Updated iPads, Dark Mode via iOS 13 and CarPlay Improvements

Additional updates include a newer low-cost iPad with a fast processor, 10-inch screen this spring that keeps its Lightning port and a newer iPad mini, the smallest tablet device. Apple’s newest operating system iOS 13 has a new dark mode option for easier nighttime viewing. CarPlay, the company’s software for automobiles, has also seen an upgrade. The new software also offers multiple page browsing of apps similar to web browsers, a new home screen and better ways to manage files. Apple also intends to include a magazine subscription service and original video content via iOS updates this year as well.

---

Apple's Second-Gen AirPods Equipped with Health Tracking, Expected in 2019

The next generation of AirPods is expected to launch with health tracking features, Apple Watch integration and responding to Siri

Image via Apple

Expected to launch in the first half of 2019, Apple’s rumored AirPods 2 are expected to have health monitoring features, according to supply chain sources. This enables AirPods to compete in the wearables market. In 2018, Apple’s revenue from wearables grew by as much as 50 percent, according to DigiTimes.

Supplier Insight

As suppliers anticipate a growing wearables market in 2019, their predictions apparently match similar expectations described by noted Apple industry analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo back in December of last year, who described wireless charging support and an updated Bluetooth feature for the newer AirPods in early 2019. The two suppliers who provided the information, Taiwanese flexible PCB suppliers Zhen Ding Tech and Flexium Interconnect, provide components for the Apple Watch and AirPods currently. DigiTimes has been a mixed source of reputable information, often flooded with ‘insider’ tips from Asian suppliers of varying accuracy.

However, new AirPod listings were added recently to the Bluetooth Special Interest Group's regulatory database in November that support the Bluetooth 5.0 specification. Current AirPods are not water resistant and cannot handle excessive exposure or submersion in liquids. A future third-generation AirPod that is water resistant and possibly features a new design is expected in 2020.

---

Image via Apple

Apple Watch Integration

The new AirPods are also expected to work well with the latest versions of Apple Watch, thus enabling smooth sharing of health data. Apple Watch made headlines last year with its new electrocardiogram functionality right from your wrist.

---

Image via 9to5Mac

Hey Siri Functionality

A "Hey Siri" configuration tool discovered in Apple's latest iOS 12.2 beta by 9to5Mac's Guilherme Rambo, suggests that Apple’s newer AirPod model will be able to interact with Siri directly. The setup matches other “Hey Siri'“ prompts but mentions AirPods for the first time. Prior to this software iteration, the Siri configuration model was limited to the iPhone only. This new functionality offers great convenience as a user wearing AirPods can call upon Siri without having to pull out their handset. Also as this functionality is not available on current models, its presence suggests the arrival of a new model of AirPods in the near future.

Back in 2018, Bloomberg suggested that Apple was updating its wireless headphones to include a “Hey Siri” component. Last year’s December report by analyst Ming-Chi Kuo also predicted the use of a revised W-series chip in the next version of AirPods. This chip would able to power desired “Hey Siri” functionality.

---

Image via Apple

HomePods Arrive in China and Hong Kong at Last

Image via Apple

Earlier this month, Apple launched the HomePod in China and Hong Kong, after almost a year since the Siri-enabled speaker was released to market. The HomePod sells for roughly 2,799 yuan (about $413 in China and HK$2,799 (about $356) in Hong Kong, according to Apple's online stores. The HomePod is immediately available in both countries, with convenient one business day shipping. Apple promoted the audio speaker’s release with regional specifications for Siri to include popular favorites such as “Cantopop” and “Mandopop” to play specific radio stations in Apple Music and artists such as Corsak, Gong and Lu Xianghui.

---

Tim Cook Addresses Data Collection 'Surveillance' and the Need for GDPR in the US

Tim Cook calls data collection 'surveillance' in blunt, forceful speech on 'data-industrial complex'

At the 40th International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners in Brussels, Belgium back in October, Apple CEO Tim Cook did not shy away from using strong language to warn of the dangers of data collection and loss of citizen privacy. Cook praised the European Union for taking the initiative in protecting the personal data of its citizens with the passage of General Data Protection Regulation or GDPR. He urged the United States to follow suit with a federal law that would protect citizen’s rights against what he described as an emerging, ‘data-industrial complex.’

“Our own information is being weaponized against us with military efficiency...We shouldn’t sugar-coat the consequences. This is surveillance. And these stockpiles of personal data only serve to enrich the companies that collect them.”

— Tim Cook, Apple CEO

He explained how data-gathering algorithms affect individual privacy and how these tools can be abused through rogue agents, organizations and governments to undermine society.

“Now more than ever, as leaders of governments, as decision makers in business and as citizens, we must ask ourselves a fundamental question. What kind of world do we want to live in?”

— Tim Cook, Apple CEO

He also shared how Apple questioned the power of a totalitarian state and conformity in the 1984 Macintosh ad "Why 1984 Won't Be Like 1984.” The powerful ad played on the themes of George Orwell's dystopian novel 1984, ending with the powerful message that technology can be used to empower, rather than enslave.

After the event, Cook also shared his thoughts on Twitter.

---

Four Elements of Privacy

Cook outlined four key rights that he thinks should be essential to a new US federal privacy law. 

1. Right to have private data minimized.

2. Right to know what data is being collected and why.

3. Right for any individual to get access to his or her own data, correct it and delete it, if desired.

4. Right to security, which he described as “foundation to trust and all other privacy rights.”

Cook also admitted that there were plenty of people who would prefer that he had not said that and that many people will also publicly endorse privacy reform, but ‘undermine it behind closed doors.’ He also pointed out that any technology that would supposedly be hampered by privacy laws was false and such a claim was destructive. Tim Cook is the first CEO of a large American corporation to take such a pro-privacy stance on individual consumer rights.

At Elf, we believe that privacy is a fundamental human right, as essential as freedom.