Virtual reality products continue to be unanimity among manufacturers, but it is a mystery whether they will eventually dominate the market. Anyway, armed with a stack of new patents, Apple shows a renewed interest in this space.
Patently Apple reported Tuesday that Apple was granted 41 additional patents by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) , and one of them in particular seems to directly target the virtual reality helmets (VR) of its rivals, such as Google and Samsung.
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The first, introduced in 2008, and credited the inventor Quin Hoellwarth, bears the patent number 8,957,835. He describes a "video frame helmet" that works in tandem with an iPhone or iPod to deliver video and audio content. It's probably no coincidence that this helmet is very similar to Gear VR Samsung Galaxy smartphone that uses a consistent attached to the front, showing virtual reality entertainment to the user.
A range of products?
In addition to simply show the picture and sound from an iOS device to the headset, the Apple patent also describes an image feature in the image, which can be used to keep an eye on the real world while wearing the device. Judging by the details of the patent, Apple plans to incorporate a certain amount of physical touch controls on the headset itself, but also leaves the door open to other options, such as voice control with Siri.
The patent also develops a return "haptic" located in the atria, which can be used to improve the sound effects and music from the video content being viewed. Digging further, we speak of possible accessories including an external battery and remote control.
The ambitions of a video headset from Apple back to at least 2008, but the iPhone maker has been relatively quiet on issues related to virtual reality. Indeed, the last batch date there nearly four years.
Is Apple going to release a virtual reality headset compatible with iPhone remains to be seen, but the growing interest in this sector - Google, LG, Samsung, Facebook, and others - suggest that it may be a must in the future.
Patently Apple reported Tuesday that Apple was granted 41 additional patents by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) , and one of them in particular seems to directly target the virtual reality helmets (VR) of its rivals, such as Google and Samsung.
See also : Galaxy S6: excellent low-light performance
The first, introduced in 2008, and credited the inventor Quin Hoellwarth, bears the patent number 8,957,835. He describes a "video frame helmet" that works in tandem with an iPhone or iPod to deliver video and audio content. It's probably no coincidence that this helmet is very similar to Gear VR Samsung Galaxy smartphone that uses a consistent attached to the front, showing virtual reality entertainment to the user.
In addition to simply show the picture and sound from an iOS device to the headset, the Apple patent also describes an image feature in the image, which can be used to keep an eye on the real world while wearing the device. Judging by the details of the patent, Apple plans to incorporate a certain amount of physical touch controls on the headset itself, but also leaves the door open to other options, such as voice control with Siri.
The ambitions of a video headset from Apple back to at least 2008, but the iPhone maker has been relatively quiet on issues related to virtual reality. Indeed, the last batch date there nearly four years.
Is Apple going to release a virtual reality headset compatible with iPhone remains to be seen, but the growing interest in this sector - Google, LG, Samsung, Facebook, and others - suggest that it may be a must in the future.