Holograms: Will Apple Do It Right
Technology evolves rapidly and as it has evolved, technology comes into our lives changing the way we operate everyday. A lot of technology that we take for granted today seems like something out of a science fiction movie a short while ago. So what is the next giant leap in technology? A writer for Bloomberg Businessweek, Ben Kunz, thinks it’s likely to be holograms.
Apple and holograms
Kunz anticipates that Apple devices—its iPhones and iPads—will soon display holograms that look like something you’d see in a contemporary science fiction film. In fact, Kunz’s story on Bloomberg Businessweek is accompanied by a photo of Robert Downey Jr. from the 2012 hit movie The Avengers using his own nifty holograms. Again, this may sound like the stuff of fiction, but Kunz writes that he’s basing his prediction on real news: Apple’s patents and recent acquisitions. Then there’s the competition in the tablet industry. Apple needs something to help distinguish it from its tablet competitors. Holograms could possibly be that thing.
Apple’s plans
Apple’s hologram idea may include matching a forward-facing camera and sensor that track the location of viewers’ eyes with a screen that can create beams of light at various angles. With this technology, each viewer’s eyes would receive a different angle of the image. This will create realistic-looking holograms.
The future of 3D?
One of the biggest challenges behind 3D holograms is that so far they have failed to really excite consumers. Look at how 3D TV sales have been sluggish. Even game systems, like Nintendo’s 3DS handheld system, which doesn’t require any special glasses, haven’t been selling well. So what would convince Apple to dive into this market? Well, Apple has a history of taking ideas other people are battling with and making them achieve success. Think about when Apple took the idea for the mouse from Xerox, made it more effective, and sales increased. The idea then is that Apple normally takes what other companies have done with 3D technology and make more realistic holograms that will enchant consumers.
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