Virtual Reality & Augmented Reality: Top 5 Predictions 2017

Last 2-3 years have been years of great uprising for Virtual Reality. Same is true about Augmented Reality too. Big announcements were made, lot of mergers happened, plenty of acquisitions were solemnized. The acquisition of Oculus by Facebook acted like a game changer for the virtual reality. It transformed the Virtual Reality for ever. With Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Sony’s PlayStation VR already floating in the market, action is in full swing! Stage is all set to take the Virtual Reality Technology up-to the next BIG LEVEL. Indisputably the next big computing platform will be Augmented/Virtual reality.
People are discussing that future is soon going to be screen less. But how? With the help of AR and VR, you can create virtual screen anywhere (On wall, on table or even in the air) for computing, you can finish your tasks on those virtual screens. Once your tasks get over, the screen will disappear! You don’t need to carry your laptops, tablets or even smart phones with you. One small wearable computer will be enough to carry on all your tasks!

TOP 5 PREDICTIONS FOR VIRTUAL REALITY & AUGMENTED REALITY 2017

Before we move ahead with Top 5 predictions of Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality 2017, let’s recall some of the major happenings from VR and AR World in the last couple of years.




1. Secret acquisition of Metaio- (German Mobile AR Apps Company) by Apple,
2. Buyout of Faceshift( owns technologies to assay human face in real time) by Apple,
3. High – Profile acquisition of Oculus VR by Facebook,
4. PrimeSense ( Israeli company) take over by Apple,
5. Google’s interest in Magic Leap,
6. Flyby Media’s acquisition by Apple ( An AR Company which is looking to offer the capability to to smartphones and tablets to understand and read their surroundings)
7. Secret hiring of Doug Bowman by Apple- Virtual reality researcher- who was working with Virginia University.
Bunch of new hardware entered the market; Followed by supporting content sortie like never before. More than anything it was the secret poaching and surprising hires by the BIG PLAYERS which drew huge attention from tech wizards all over the world.
But then it was not only about promises! 2016 also witnessed hand over of some interesting Virtual Reality Apps and devices into the hands of consumers. It was like a kind of quenching long time thirst of the consumers. People were hungry a lot to experience the New Virtual Reality Technology. So 2016 proved wrong the favorite slogan of the skeptics that, “Augmented and Virtual Reality is still a DISTANT REALITY”.

But 2016 is past! Now we have are standing on the doors of 2017. So where does the future of AR & VR lie in 2017? Whether AR & VR rise will prove to a genuine uprising or a mere high voltage drama? Everyone is eager to know. In the midst’s of all the VR & AR actions going on, pricing and shipping wars, several immense funding rounds closed by VR and AR companies, I thought to come out with TOP 5 PREDICTIONS for Virtual & Augmented Reality in 2017. Lets us start;

When all the actions were shaping in AR & VR arena, when most of the BIG TECH COMPANIES were putting hefty amount on AR & VR Projects, Apple was surprisingly absent! We all know that Apple has the habit of being famously secretive about its future plans! It is very tight lipped about what’s brewing in its research & development labs. But then at the same, nothing can stop people from connecting the dots.

Lets us peep into the secret actions and goals of Apple- which it perceived long back. Acquisitions of Metaio, Faceshift, Primesense, Flyby Media, garnering of hundreds of virtual and augmented reality researchers, hiring of Dow Bowman, plundering of Nick Thompson- Hololens Engineer who worked with Microsoft for more than two years paint an entirely different picture. Apple is aggressively in quest for the next computing platform. People are saying that AR & VR are the ultimate disposition of personal computing. Apple knows this better than anyone. Guys be ready for some more surprises from Apple.

It has also entered into automobiles with AR & VR features! Now it’s no more a secret! It has already accumulated a pile of domains pertaining to cars! It has hired thousands of engineers to work on that project. Apple is basically an iPhone Company right now. But then we all know that when it will enter into automobiles, no one can beat it!
Guys, Apple has a history of delivering refined goods. No matter how much time does it takes but when it comes with a final product, then there’s no retreat. We all know that iPhone is the best smartphone delivered till yet.
Apple iPhone 7 Plus is powered with dual camera and Augmented Reality features
Apple iPhone 7 plus is already out there in the market. Its dual cameras work seamlessly to create awesome pics! More than this, it can also create 3D depth maps- which takes you to exact and more explicit- real time Augmented Reality experience working in tandem with your iPhones!

Rumors are that that there will be a radical change in the design and features of iPhones in 2017. With the 10th anniversary of iPhone, Apple is planning to shake us with major jitters. It has great ambitious plans for us! So what are the expected features of iPhone8?
• Flexible Plastic Edge to Edge OLED display ( O is for organic)
• Touch ID FingerPrint Sensor and front facing camera integrated into each other directed into the display
• Without Home Button
• Long Range wireless Charging
• Glass Body
• 3 different models of it- one OLED and 2 standards ones
• 10 nanometer fast A11 Processor

Indisputably HTC is the market leader in Virtual Reality. It is offering unmatchable room scale virtual reality experiences. Much of the credit goes to its advanced infrared light tracking hardware. HTC is well known for its expertise in making high level mobile phone devices. People are saying that it can announce high end discrete Virtual Reality Headset-powered with computing and graphics features on board! So that we can enjoy high level mobile VR actions at an affordable price.

It can be a sunglass with connected camera in it. It can record video clips of 10 secs at a time which will be posted to Snapchat through an iPhone or Android device. It will also be Bluetooth or Wi-fi enabled. Interesting thing is that it has an included case with it, into which you can place it to recharge!
Camera glasses are not something entirely new but Snap’s Spectacles is striving to be the best in the market. It shoots circular video which you can access both in landscape and portrait form. It is being discussed that in near future, it can also display some information like time, date, upcoming appointments, directions and some of the latest text messages within the lenses to the person who will be wearing it!

when facebook acquired Oculus in 2014; it changed the future of Virtual and Augmented Reality for ever. When Oculus was acquired, people started uttering that now Virtual Reality has the backing of a person like Mark Zuckerberg. When Oculus was acquired by Facebook, there were only 75 employees with it. Now more than 400 developers and researchers are clubbed with it! This happens when you get the backing of a person like Mark! In his own words Virtual Reality will soon enter into sports, education and healthcare.
So will Mark Zuckerberg offer to his 1.79 billion users, Real Virtual Reality Experiences in 2017 in his own style? We are quite positive about it. From last two years Facebook is continuously working hard on the development, hardware and software of oculus rift.

Millions of VR Headset will be shipped in 2017 and people will experience Virtual Reality like never before. But at the same time it will be far away from the reach of common tech users as the price at which it is available in the market appears too much for them. So what they will do? No worries! They will enjoy VR Experiences through a secret hole – called WebVR. It’s a Javascript API through which you can access any virtual reality devices like Oculus rift, HTC Vive, Samsung Gear VR in your browser.

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