According to the rumors, it has been suggested that at least some of Apple’s 2020 iPhones could come with a “world facing” 3D camera. This is said to help improve on the iPhone’s augmented reality capabilities by introducing a camera that is more accurate at sensing its environment.It looks like those rumors could be true because Apple has announced its latest iPad Pro models that come with a built-in LiDAR scanner, a hardware feature that can be found in self-driving cars.
Apple claims, “The LiDAR Scanner measures the distance to surrounding objects up to 5 meters away, works both indoors and outdoors, and operates at the photon level at nano-second speeds. New depth frameworks in iPadOS combine depth points measured by the LiDAR Scanner, data from both cameras and motion sensors, and is enhanced by computer vision algorithms on the A12Z Bionic for a more detailed understanding of a scene.”
These iPad Pro models are a refresh to the previous-gen models and interestingly enough, instead of packing an A13X chipset that we typically see in iPads, Apple has given the new tablets an A12Z chipset, which presumably is based off the A12 chipsets found in 2018’s iPhones. They will also sport 6GB of RAM and the new U1 chipset introduced in 2019’s iPhone 11 models.
According to Apple, the A12Z will boast an 8-core GPU, enhanced thermal architecture and performance controllers, making it a powerful chipset that will support things like 4K video editing and 3D modelling on the go. There is also support for WiFi 6, and as for the cameras, Apple has given the tablet a dual camera setup in the form of a 12MP Wide camera and a 10MP Ultra Wide camera.
In terms of pricing and availability, the new 11-inch iPad Pro will be priced starting at $799, while the 12.9-inch model will retail for $999, and both models are already available for order via Apple’s website.
Filed in . Read more about Augmented Reality (AR), iPad and iPad Pro. Source: apple