Currently, augmented reality is best known for its uses in games such as Pokémon GO, but a slew of new apps for Apple's ARKit shows off the practical benefits of these apps.
Augmented reality, like virtual reality, is mostly confined to the realm of gaming, but developers working with Apple's ARKit are proving that the technology has many practical benefits that can make people's lives much easier. One of the first of these apps to be unveiled is AR Measure, which, as its name implies, measures things.
AR Measure And Ruler
We're sure that, at some point in their lives, everyone needed a tape measure. Unfortunately, it's one of those things that is really easy to misplace. After all, most people only need it once every few months and will waste a good hour searching through drawers and cabinets until it is found. With the AR Measure app, users won't need to waste time looking for a tape measure. They can simply pull out their iPhone and get an easy and accurate measurement.
Based on the accompanying video, the app appears to be accurate as it was first tested against an actual tape measure and the measurements matched up. Obviously, accuracy is paramount with such an app.
In addition to AR Measure, there is also ARuler which appears to be a simpler version of Measure. Using an iPhone's camera, this app will allow users to measure the distance between two points. For example, to measure the size of a TV, a user would simply need to pull up the app and then tap two corners of their TV. After that, the app would provide them with the length of their TV.
The Future Of AR
While neither of these apps is particularly exciting, they do a great job of showing off the real-world benefits of AR. Games and flashy apps are certainly exciting, but in terms of improving people's everyday lives, we think that the practical benefits of AR are what will really drive the technology forward.
Video games are great, but aside from a few breakout hits, AR hasn't really shown itself to be the game changer that many thought it would be. However, if Apple's AR launches with a slew of practical apps designed to increase productivity and make people's lives easier, then we could see the technology being a big hit for Apple. After all, Apple's bread and butter isn't gaming, it's productivity and work-related software. AR Measure and ARuler are natural extensions of Apple's philosophy of simplifying people's everyday tasks.
