Virtual and augmented reality product company Marxent has been developing AR apps for Apple products for 6 years. The company’s CEO and co-founder, Beck Besecker, says the announcement is a “game changer”, as it will help to embed the tech into everyday life.
“(This) could theoretically add a 4th dimension to how we experience the world,” he told CNBC in an email comment.
“Once Apple starts integrating AR into the most popular apps, like email, texting, photos, maps and music, it will bring AR into our lives in a deep and meaningful way on a daily basis”
Geoff Blaber, VP research for Americas at CCS Insight, echoed this praise for the ARKit, saying it will help developers to create engaging experiences in AR.
The field of augmented reality will benefit from Apple’s scale overnight. Although Apple is theoretically late and behind initiatives such as Google’s Tango, we expect ARKit will spur developers to embrace the technology more meaningfully,” he said in a research note published Tuesday.
The move by Apple makes it the latest tech company to join the AR race. Facebook, Microsoft and Snapchat are among those invested in developing AR devices and applications.
The key for Apple to be successful in the space is content, which the ARKit will help to develop, according to Besecker.
“No AR content, no interest. An ARKit developer framework that simplifies content creation and makes it easy and foolproof for developers to include AR features in existing iOS apps is huge,” he said.
“You’re talking about potentially 5+ million apps in the iOS store and hundreds of millions of devices that could incorporate AR within the next 2-3 years. If Apple gets this right, they will own the hardware market for years to come.”