Apple Vision Pro and the Spatial Web
“The Spatial Web - Stepping into Web4”
by Timothy Coleman - 15/Apr/2023
Apple Vision Pro and AR
For those who watched the recent announcement of Apple’s Vision Pro AR glasses, you may have noticed that used the term ‘The Spatial Web’. Whether or not you think that Apple and Facebook/Meta’s glasses are the future of work/gaming, what we are undoubtedly beginning to see is the emergence of a new way of experiencing the internet.
Don’t believe it? Well, did you know that AR experiences are not just confined to wearing a pair of oversized glasses? WebAR is a technology that allows you to experience AR through your phone’s web browser. This means that you can experience AR without having to wear any special equipment. You can see characters come to life around you, or new objects in your home.
This technology is still in early stages of development, and Apple is still being very restrictive when it comes to developing AR experiences which are native to the Web Browser on their devices (maybe trying to streamline people into spending that $3499 dollars on the Vision Pro). However, Google is taking, as usual taking a more open stance in letting developers interact directly with the AR capabilities of their devices.
Coding up the Spatial Web - Thanks to ChatGPT for the help
WebXR is a technology that allows developers to create virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) experiences on the web. It is a JavaScript API that leverages WebGL for rendering 3D graphics in a browser, and it is built on the principles of the open web, meaning it is designed to work across a wide range of devices and platforms.
If you are a developer (especially a React developer), you can get started with WebXR by using the React XR library. This library provides a set of React components that make it easy to create VR and AR experiences for the browser. It also provides a set of tools for building and deploying your experiences. This CodeSandbox is a good example.
WebXR also includes features for handling more advanced functionality, such as spatial tracking (for AR experiences), input sources (like hand tracking or controller input), layers (for more efficient rendering), and more. It’s a powerful tool for creating immersive web experiences, and it’s being actively developed and improved by the web community.
The Future of the Spatial Web
What will be the ‘killer use case’ for the Spatial Web is hard to say, but, as the Internet changed shopping experiences, it will enable people to interact with potential purchases in a whole new way. Check out these AR pieces I put together a while ago (the tracking could be better, but they give an idea of how it will work).
Apple has been planning ahead for users to experience the Spatial Web for a long time, by including lidar scanners in their newer devices. These scanners, give your phone a much more accurate idea of the dimensions of your space, and even allow you to create 3D scans with apps such as 3D Scanner App.
Mobile gaming is also ripe for disruption, Spatial Web will allow for a whole new level of immersion. If you ever played Pokemon Go, this is just the beginning of mobile AR gaming. A few months ago, I saw a child playing with a virtual football which he was moving around the room on his iPad. When you see experiences this intuitive for a child, you know something big is coming!