Since the dawn of mobile phones being equipped with cameras, people have been using them to take pictures of all sorts of interesting things.
And, as soon as apps like Snapchat were launched, the temptation to send these ‘interesting’ things got a whole lot harder to resist. Well, for some people.
However, for those people who can’t resist the temptation, things are going to get a lot more awkward when it comes to sending private pictures.
New iOS systems, which are being rolled out across iPhones and iPads, are coming with a host of new features, and one that’s caught everyone’s attention is an app called Measure.
Speaking at Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference, senior vice president of software engineering Craig Federighi, said:
Measure is a new app in iOS 12, which uses AR [augmented reality] to quickly gauge the size of real-world objects similar to a tape measure.
The new app automatically provides the dimensions of objects like picture frames, posters and signs, and can also show diagonal measurements, compute area and allow users to take a photo and share it with accurate dimensions right from their iPhone or iPad.
In other words, you’ll be able to hold your phone up to an object and it’ll tell you the measurements. See you later, ruler! You can go back to the bottom of the pencil case along with the compass and protractor thank you very much.
One downside is, though, that because the app uses augmented reality, it has to be used in real-time, and can’t be applied to pictures that you’ve already taken.
According to Business Insider, however, the iOS 12 update is also a concern for other AR app developers.
Out of the 1,100 AR apps already on the App Store, around 80 of them are already measuring apps. Which means that, as Apple’s own Measure app will come for free with the new software update, there will be little reason for users to download another.
On the day of the iPhone X launch late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel gave random people on the streets of LA an chance to test out Apple’s newest model – only it turns out they were testing out an old iPhone 4.
If you wanted further proof consumers have no clue whatsoever as to what they’re buying this video below is all the evidence you need.
As you can clearly see those filmed on camera didn’t have the slightest inkling that in their hands was an older model of the latest iPhone, from 2010 to be exact.
With every release Apple claim they’ve made improvements and upgrades, therefore making previous handsets obsolete. These enhancements include things such as user interface, camera quality and overall aesthetics.
With the introduction of AR rulers, maybe some people will be looking at getting enhancements for things other than their phones.
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Charlie Cocksedge is a journalist and sub-editor at UNILAD. He graduated from the University of Manchester with an MA in Creative Writing, where he learnt how to write in the third person, before getting his NCTJ. His work has also appeared in such places as The Guardian, PN Review and the bin.