Earlier this month Apple filed a very interesting US government patent, the blog aptly called Patently Apple reports, which describes several new ways of interacting and gesture-controlling 3D objects on an iPad-like device. (This pic is from the patent filing.)
The intent of this patent, as Patently Apple's Jack Purcher puts it, is:
According to Apple, next generation iPad and or other iOS device displays will allow consumers to create avatars for 3D environments... Users could use it to quickly generate avatars for use in video conferencing applications. Users of a virtual 3D environment could quickly generate or modify avatars or objects in the virtual 3D environment.
Read the rest here. I can definitely see this becoming important for CAD and other 3D content creation applications, and for iOS video games, but it also strongly suggests virtual world/metaverse kinds of applications. And this isn't even the first of this kind of patent Apple has filed: In 2008, as I noted then, Apple patented a virtual Apple Store, in which "[V]isitors are represented by avatars selected by those visitors,” as the application describes it, “rather than a more generic or uniform icon.” My strong sense is that 2008 application was simply a way for the company to stake out some IP rights territory during the hype wave over 3D virtual worlds. When that faded, so did Apple's interest. However, the growing popularity of the iPad makes me think this time, Apple is playing for keeps. A lot of developers (including Linden Lab) are looking to create 3D avatar applications for future iOS devices. Wonder if they'll need to build them with Apple's own dev kit.
Much mahalo to reader Eris for the tip!
If we're lucky we'll have the privilege of getting locked into an Apple owned world while they sue everyone else away!
Posted by: Veeyawn Spoonhammer | Thursday, July 21, 2011 at 02:07 PM
Have you ever looked at that av-creator program caled 'Evolver' that is intended to create avatars useable in various virtual worlds? It always seemed an interesting idea to me. This doesn't have much to do with yer article but it popped into my head.
:-D
Posted by: Osprey | Thursday, July 21, 2011 at 02:16 PM
It'd be fun to stop messing with sliders and vetices and get some virtual clay under my fingernails.
Posted by: Arcadia Codesmith | Thursday, July 21, 2011 at 02:28 PM
unrelated, but I wonder if LL has considered putting their viewer in the Mac App Store. Could help get a few more signups.
Posted by: Seymore Steamweaver | Thursday, July 21, 2011 at 05:34 PM
Fom this and other recent "BS" patents I more get the feeling Apple is looking to making money from other companies' applications more then thinking of developing their own virtual environment/world.
A clue to this is their patent on using a wiping gesture to move things from one device to the other. Something we've seen before in a.o. Iron Man and Avatar.
Its easy money and not their own idea. Hence I call this "BS" patents.
Posted by: DF | Friday, July 22, 2011 at 01:15 AM
"Bs" as Almost all that as an apple on it!
Posted by: foneco zuzu | Friday, July 22, 2011 at 05:37 AM
Look's more like a way of annoying Google in case they wanted to move a simplified Sketch-Up onto a tablet.
Posted by: Hitomi Tiponi | Friday, July 22, 2011 at 12:17 PM