Holograms: Will Apple Do It Right
Business Technology | December 7, 2012
Technology evolves quickly and as it has evolved, technology comes into our lives changing the way we operate daily. 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 seem 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 set it apart from its tablet competitors. Holograms could possibly be that thing.
Apple’s plans
How it could work: With forward-facing cameras that track the position of the viewers’ eyes and a screen that projects beams of light at different angles a hologram might be created. This hologram would also be very realistic because of the different angles created by the various beams of light. The viewer could look at it from every direction and it would maintain its visual integrity.
The future of 3D?
One of the biggest challenges behind 3D holograms is that so far they have failed to really inspire 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 persuade 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 efficient, and sales soared. 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.
>
Technology evolves quickly and as it has evolved, technology comes into our lives changing the way we operate daily. 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 seem 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 set it apart from its tablet competitors. Holograms could possibly be that thing.
Apple’s plans
How it could work: With forward-facing cameras that track the position of the viewers’ eyes and a screen that projects beams of light at different angles a hologram might be created. This hologram would also be very realistic because of the different angles created by the various beams of light. The viewer could look at it from every direction and it would maintain its visual integrity.
The future of 3D?
One of the biggest challenges behind 3D holograms is that so far they have failed to really inspire 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 persuade 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 efficient, and sales soared. 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.
>