Recent reports reveal that Apple is building a rear-facing laser 3D camera, tipped to be featured in its 2019 line-up of iPhones.
The technology aims to make augmented reality (AR) apps more realistic, inferring that AR will be a notable focus of future iPhones.
The release of such smartphones is just a year before the Californian-based giant is tipped to launch its first AR spectacles.
Codenamed ‘T228’ and said to run Apple’s ‘reality OS’, market commentators predict that Apple’s smart glasses will go to market by 2020.
Reports claim that Apple’s new camera will incorporate a laser to bounce light ‘pulses’ off objects and determine their distance. In doing so, the iPhone is capable of developing a picture of its surroundings.
The news follows reports in June, revealing that Apple was granted a patent for the technology.
Google is reportedly tinkering with a similar mechanism and is said to have already developed smartphones under its ‘Project Tango’ program.
