A few months ago, the first rumors appeared according to which iOS 9 is going to include an augmented reality system for Apple Maps, but the Apple company has not yet officially presented it, but it partially confirms these speculations with the employment of a former important engineer of Microsoft.
Nick Thompson is a former Microsoft lead engineer who worked on a development team HoloLens within the company from Redmond, he being specialized in audio systems, specialization in which he did all his work within Microsoft throughout the 2 years of employment.
Before working at Microsoft, Thompson was employed for 7 years at Apple and contributed to the implementation of audio functions of Mac/Apple TVs, so for him we are only talking about a return to the company that helped him to develop.
Although this employment is new proof that Apple is interested in the development of augmented reality systems, it is certainly not the first, those from Cupertino previously buying a company called Metaio which is specialized on this type of systems.
"Based on recent acquisitions of augmented reality companies, hiring of a key Microsoft Hololens employee, and conversations with industry contacts within the virtual and augmented reality spaces, we believe Apple has a team exploring the AR space," Munster said in a note to clients today.
With Metaio, Apple also bought 171 patents that help it develop an advanced augmented reality system, which can be combined with the gesture control system obtained through the acquisition of PrimeSense in 2013, so Apple would have the opportunity to revolutionize the way that we use iOS.
In Apple Maps, Apple could offer the possibility to use the camera and to view detailed information about the points of interest around us, but it remains to be seen when this function will be available, because it is no longer a question of "if" it will be offered.
