philip lelyveld The world of entertainment technology

Apple Inc. Is Trying to Corner the Augmented Reality Market

Nevertheless, one of the most prominent displays at the WWD conference was an ARKit-enabled iPad, which featured a simple but powerful AR video game.

Using the familiar wooden tables installed at Apple Stores worldwide, ARKit superimposed virtual images on top of them. This was the initial setup for a gaming demonstration called SwiftShot . With a virtual slingshot that the user controls through the iPad, the goal is to knock down as many pillars on your opponent's side before he or she does the same to you.

Again, while the demo was rudimentary, it effectively got the message across. Unlike curent video-gaming consoles from Sony Corp (ADR) (NYSE: SNE ) and Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT), Apple's augmented reality mixes fantasy with reality.

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The headset, which has the code name T288, is forecast to hit store shelves in 2020. It's also rumored that it will feature VR capabilities, enabling AAPL to compete beyond augmented reality.

Of course, the biggest piece of the AR infrastructure is Finisar Corporation (NASDAQ: FNSR ). Late-last year, Apple and chipmaker Finisar inked a deal where the latter will provide highly specialized laser optics to the former.

Just the technology itself is extremely significant for Apple's AR ventures. However, because the supplies needed to produce the laser optics are exceedingly rare, AAPL is essentially blocking out its competitors. Since the company was first to secure this critical pipeline, other smartphone AR players must pay higher premiums.

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See the full story here: https://www.nasdaq.com/article/apple-inc-is-trying-to-corner-the-augmented-reality-market-cm973839