So it has always been a pretty well-known fact that Apple is interested in augmented reality, and that was made much clearer during WWDC when Apple announced ARKit that helps developers create AR-based apps for iOS devices. This is also why it doesn’t really surprise to learn that in a report from Digital.di (via Business Insider), Apple and IKEA have also teamed up for an AR app for furniture shopping.
As you might have figured out by now, this AR app will allow users to check out various IKEA furnitures from the comfort of their own home, and allow them to “place” them in their home virtually so that they can get an idea of how it might look like and if it will fit in with the rest of their home’s design. It has also been suggested that maybe purchasing the furniture could also be done within the app itself, thus saving customers time from having to travel to IKEA.
The app is scheduled for a launch this coming fall, with about 500-600 IKEA products being available at the start. Michael Valdsgaard, Leader of Digital Transformation at Inter Ikea also said that in the future whenever new products are launched at IKEA, they will be making their way into the app first, so customers will be able to check them out straight away.
Despite being known as a home furnishing company, IKEA has been quick to embrace technology and tried to integrate it into their products. For example IKEA has a range of table lambs that also offer up wireless charging for mobile devices, and they also recently launched their own range of affordable smart lighting.
Filed in . Read more about Apps, Augmented Reality (AR) and Ikea.