iPhone 8 May Sport 'Rear-Facing 3D Laser' for Augmented Reality Features: Report

Apple's announcement of ARKit at this year's WWDC was clear indication that the company is heavily interested in augmented reality. Now, new information suggests that the Cupertino-based company has been working on a "rear-facing 3D laser system" that can possibly be implemented at the back of the upcoming iPhone 8 in order to facilitate AR features as well as improve the camera performance. Separately, the smartphone has also been tipped to face a delay in shipments.

Citing a source with knowledge on the matter, Fast Company reports that Apple is working on a sensor system for its upcoming smartphones that will enable better detection of depth for the augmented reality apps with the help of laser and provide better autofocus in terms of photography. As per the source, the inclusion of this sensor system (VSCEL laser system) on iPhone 8 will depend on progress that the engineers at the company are able to make in terms of technology integration on the smartphone.

"VCSEL laser systems calculate the distance the light travels from the laser to the target and back to the sensor, and generate a Time of Flight (TOF) measurement. The system consists of a source (the VCSEL laser), a lens, detector (sensor), and a processor. The whole thing costs about $2 per phone," Fast Company said citing a source in its report.

To recall, JP Morgan analyst Rod Hall earlier suggested that the iPhone 8 might come with front 3D laser tech for facial recognition, something that has since been corroborated several times.

Separately, Bank of America Merrill Lynch analysts have suggested that the iPhone 8 will face a delay of 3-4 weeks in shipments due to technological issues on the basis of their conversation with the supply chain sources, reports CNBC. The report mentions problems with fingerprint sensor and 3D sensors to be the reason behind this delay. Notably, this is not the first time that the upcoming smartphones shipments have been tipped to be delayed.