Apple is one of the world’s innovators. No one expects Apple to be the follower but to be the brand leading the way and challenging the status quo.
Innovation and originality are, arguably, Apple’s USPs. The company produces products and services that are not different for the sake of being different but ones that challenge our perceptions of how a product or service should be.
Therefore, it should come as no surprise to find that Apple is showcasing all kinds of exciting new developments.
For the most part, over recent years, Apple’s new products have been adaptations and upgrades rather than a whole leap forward.
However, there are lots of rumours about their first spatial computer, which is set to hit the market sometime next year.
Apple Vision Pro
Unlike competitor headsets which are primarily intended for gaming, Apple says its device is aimed at professional and business users.
The augmented and virtual reality headset has been in development for over a decade and is set for launch in early 2024.
The company is calling it a spatial computer because of its ability to blend digital context with the physical world.
The technology appears to overlay content on the world around you, but it is not see-through, and everything you see is digital.
Cameras on the front of the device map what they capture and translate it into a digital image. The user can switch between “real” and “immersive” if the user only wants to see what is presented inside the headset.
The Apple Vision Pro looks rather like a pair of ski goggles with a piece of laminated glass and an aluminium frame.
There are audio straps with built-in speakers to deliver spatial audio that blends what you can hear in the real world with what can be heard in the headset.
These are connected to a 3D knitted headband that holds the whole thing in place. The company plans to offer light seals and headbands in multiple sizes to ensure a perfect fit.
The wearable computer will have a hefty price tag of USD 3,499, and its OLED displays will deliver over 4K resolution to each eye.
They even have a solution for glasses wearers with Zeiss Optical Inserts that can be attached to the headset’s lenses.
With no controllers, the device operates through hand and eye movements for navigation, purchases and unlocking.
Payment Avenues
While the Apple Vision will allow eye movements to make online payments, many people currently making purchases on the internet are still catching up with face ID to transact using their iPhone or computer.
ApplePay has revolutionised how New Zealanders make payments both in-store and online.
Contactless
It was not so long ago that customers thought contactless with their plastic cards was revolutionary, and then we could do the same without needing to have our cards with us.
A digital card stored in the digital wallet app transformed our smartphones into an all-in-one payment device, and unlike contactless cards, payments were not limited to small amounts.
Features such as these make iPhones easier to use every day, and constantly increase the accessibility of your iPhone.
Buy Now Pay Later
Apple has very recently launched a Buy Now Pay Later product allowing customers to split the purchase cost into four equal payments with no fees or interest.
Applying for an Apple Pay Later loan does not impact the customer’s credit score either. It is available for purchases between $50 and $1,000 bought using iPhones or iPads.
Unusually for Apple, this product launch brings them up to speed with its competitors rather than being a market leader.
Digital Content
It is not only physical products that can be bought using ApplePay. It is an increasingly popular option for downloading films, games and other digital content.
People who like to play online pokies or have a flutter on a sporting event can find plenty of online casinos that accept this type of payment.
Customers love simplicity and security. When playing at an online casino, it is good to check that the platform is safe and reputable, and Time2Play has curated a list of the best online casinos with Apple Pay out there.
Looking To The Future / Working With Youth
Apple has always had their face firmly towards the future. Everything the company does is done to ensure it remains several steps ahead of the competition.
One of the avenues the company has always worked in is education, and its latest collaboration, Deep Field, is set to open up young minds and fire their creativity and imagination.
Deep Field
Deep Field is a new immersive art experience app created by the Australian artist and technologists Tim Nguyen and Edward Cutting using iPad Pro and Apple Pencil.
This interactive augmented reality and sonic experience lets students co-create and connect in real-time through their shared reimagining of the situation they are in.
The app harnesses the power and portability of iPad Pro, and using the Apple Pencil, students take inspiration from works of art and the real world to draw their own natural forms.
They get to experiment with colour, shape and textures. Once they have dreamed up their plants and animals, they sketch them in the Deep Field app, and these are added to a global database.
Students visiting the Art Gallery of New South Wales were the first to watch their artworks bloom into 3D plant structures in their newly imagined, immersive natural world.
The Deep Field experience is also available in Los Angeles, and then it embarks on a world tour and is going to Europe in October and Asia in November.
While no museums or galleries are using the technology in situ in New Zealand at the moment, it cannot be too long before one of the country’s top art venues sees the opportunity to attract a new wave of youthful art lovers through its doors.
Up-to-the-minute Hardware
Apple in New Zealand will continue to release a superb range of products, from the water-resistant iPhone 14 Pro with crash-detection and ceramic shield to the impossibly thin MacBook Air 15″ and its new HomePod.
The HomePod is part personal assistant, part high-fidelity immersive audio system that works seamlessly with Apple devices, allowing users to control their smart home in one place.
