At this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple announced their first augmented reality software development kit. ARKit offers developers the chance to create digital content on top of real-world scenery on iOS 11 for iPhone and iPad through what Apple refers to as “World Tracking”.

 

With this release, Apple has officially joined the rising AR scene, alongside Google and Facebook, which have also unveiled augmented reality tools of their own. This means that billions of users will now be able to have everyday access to this thriving technology.

The fact that these tech giants are now investing in and promoting AR validates the market that Wikitude has been working hard to create for nearly a decade. The world finally caught up to what we and our awesome developer community have known all along: AR is powerful.

The time has come. Augmented reality is going mainstream, and we couldn’t be more excited!

Anticipating the widespread reach of augmented reality, Wikitude has been steadily developing and improving its SDK since 2009, allowing developers to create meaningful and interactive ways to tell their stories and strengthen their image and productivity through AR.

In January 2017, we launched SDK 6, the first cross-platform SLAM SDK in the market, awarded “Best Developer Tool” at AWE 2017. SDK 6 introduced the groundbreaking feature ‘Instant Tracking’ or ‘World Tracking’’ as Apple called it at WWDC.

Instant Tracking is an algorithm that immediately starts tracking the world around you, without the need for any markers. This allows users to see digital objects and information in their surroundings using any Android or iOS device.

Technical details apart, Wikitude’s markerless tracking technology has been helping companies improve their performance in various sectors: industrial, marketing campaigns, retail, planning and design, education and training, and more. Experience the ease of writing your code once and deploying it on multiple platforms and devices: Android, iOS, phones, tablets, and smart glasses.

Without a doubt, Apple’s announcement will contribute to boosting AR usage to an unprecedented worldwide scale, and we are looking forward to what lays ahead. Get started developing cross-platform AR apps today with Wikitude.