Apple to revolutionize the phone interface, again, and Androids may follow

[Nergal]

 

Apple to revolutionize the phone interface, again, and Androids may follow (air gestures, AR camera)

We've been hearing that Apple is working very seriously on AR for future iPhones and even standalone products, but it turns out that we might see the fruits of this labor as soon as the 2019 iPhones hit the shelves.

Korean media is abuzz with supply chain and industry sources tipping that Apple will implement a revolutionary new interface navigation method on them, based on air gestures and 3D-sensing cameras. The work is apparently so advanced that Chinese phone makers are rushing to mimic whatever they think Apple has in mind for 2019.

We were wondering how all of a sudden a time-of-flight 3D-sensing rear camera landed in the new Vivo R17 Pro, for the first time in a phone, and today we may have one of the possible reasons for this unorthodox kit. At the time of unveiling, Vivo said that the ToF stereo 3D rear cam can be used for gesture navigation and AR purposes, fitting perfectly with the narrative here.

Plenty of companies have been working on this, too, as you can see from Microsoft Research's demo on an oldie Samsung phone below, and what it does with just the standard RGB main cam - zoom, swipe, or flick.