Apple working on new augmented reality shopping feature on iPhone: Report

Apple is reportedly working on a new version of its Apple Store application which will offer an augmented reality (AR) shopping feature on iPhone. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, this feature is likely to allow customers to point their iPhone towards a product like a Mac in an Apple Store and immediately receive its details like pricing and specifications in an overlay on their screen, reports MacRumors.

Gurman said the iPhone maker has been working on this feature from at least 2020 and has been testing it at stores in recent months. However, it is still unclear when the company will roll out this feature. “If the service debuts in the near future, it would be one of Apple’s most significant AR-related launches to date — and a taste of what’s to come with the headset,” wrote Gurman.

He also said that the tech giant is planning to release an application programming interface (API) for developers so that other retail stores could also use this feature, the report said. Meanwhile, earlier this week, it was reported that the company was working on a new in-house chip which is likely to power cellular, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth functionality on its devices.

The iPhone maker was also working on a replacement for the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip which it currently uses from Broadcom, and was planning to start integrating it into devices in 2025.

Apple has also introduced a new free tool named ‘Apple Business Connect’ which will allow businesses of all sizes to customise the way their information appears across Apple applications like Maps, Messages, Wallet and Siri.

With this new tool, all businesses can now directly manage their information in the interactive Apple Maps place card, such as inviting customers to take actions like ordering food or making a reservation directly from Maps, the tech giant said in a blogpost on Wednesday.

“We created Business Connect to provide Apple users around the world with the most accurate information for places to eat, shop, travel, and more,” said Eddy Cue, senior vice president of Services, Apple.

“Apple Business Connect gives every business owner the tools they need to connect with customers more directly, and take more control over the way billions of people see and engage with their products and services every day,” Cue added.

–IANS