We’re opening a series of posts about technology trends in extended reality. Let’s start with AR! Who’s who in augmented reality?
The core trend is that AR is switching into browser mode.
A smartphone is a universal belonging these days, so AR is becoming more available for anyone. Corporations are increasing their investment in AR, and we’re witnessing a higher number of AR content creators, mostly for entertainment and advertising purposes.
There are two main technologies for AR development: ARKit by Apple and ARCore by Google. Both are great, however, Apple’s ARKit seems to prevail in its quality and set of features. Google's kit is a multiplatform one, so it’s more widespread and popular.
Both kits provide the API for standalone apps. Previously we used Vuforia for those purposes, but now it’s mostly a corporate segment app with no web version. Vuforia is no longer oriented for the needs of ordinary customers.
Apparently, today’s users are not willing to download specialized AR apps. That’s why ARKit and ARCore are developing towards WebAR technology, or browser AR. With WebAR, users simply need to follow a link and point their smartphone cameras at the AR marker. It works like a charm for all relatively new Androids and IPhones. The key Web AR provider is 8wall, and there are increasingly more new names in the market.
