Oliver Haslam on August 30, 2017, 10:31 am

Apple Shows Off ARKit Apps Coming With iOS 11: IKEA, The Walking Dead, Arise, GIPHY, More

If the reports are correct, then in a couple of weeks, we should either be installing iOS 11 on our iPhones and iPads or at the very least know exactly when we will be able to do so and the feature that has perhaps captured the imagination the most is ARKit, Apple’s developer platform dedicated to bringing augmented reality apps and games to its mobile devices.

Ever since the developer beta builds of iOS 11 first dropped, we have been seeing new videos showing concepts of just what ARKit will be capable of, and with apps now ready to launch alongside iOS 11, Apple has decided to share info on some of the apps from top developers with media at its Cupertino HQ.

Back when Apple announced iOS 11, one of the apps that it teased was for IKEA, and now we have more info on the app ahead of its next month’s launch alongside iOS 11. There will be 2000 items that the app will be able to instantly place in a user’s home, allowing them to get a feel for what they are ordering without ever having to set foot in a store.

Being able to see how a piece of furniture will look in situ is something that augmented reality is very much suited for, and IKEA was clearly quick to realize ARKit’s potential in this area.

Another app, built by The Food Network, allows users to create digital desserts on the table in front of them, and while the app is more of an entertainment offering rather than something that will be used to design real desserts, there is little arguing about the app’s potential.

Climax Studios has also showed off its new game called Arise, which allows users to navigate through levels using their iPhone, while AMC’s “The Walking Dead: Our World” will let gamers walk through a town’s streets while fighting off zombies. Continuing the fun theme, Giphy also has an ARKit app on the way called Giphy World that will allow users to place GIFs in 3D space and then share the outcome in video form across the usual array of social networks.

For parents looking to introduce their toddlers to AR, there’s an augmented reality adaptation of the popular children’s book The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

With iOS 11 not even released yet, it is fair to say that ARKit has proven to be quite the hit with developers and we cannot wait to see what is around the corner. Apple is expected to release iOS 11 a little before the iPhone 8, iPhone 7s, and iPhone 7s Plus ship to customers towards the third week in September, assuming rumored timescales are correct.

(Source: TechCrunch)