Apple yesterday confirmed that its upcoming online video presentation to announce new products, without specifically mentioning new iPhones, will take place next Tuesday, October 13. Apple’s landing page for the upcoming event with the tagline “Hi, Speed” hides a cool augmented reality Easter egg in plain sight, here’s how to see it.
How to see AR surprise in the “Hi, Speed” invite
Follow these steps to see Apple’s AR surprise in the October 13 event invite.
- Visit the Apple Events webpage at apple.com/apple-events/ in Safari on your iPhone or iPad.
- Tap on the Apple logo to enter the AR view on your device.
- Once in the AR view, interact with the object.
You should see the Apple logo explode into dozens of orange, white and blue bubbles that circle around the event date. Tap the “AR” or “Object” button at the top to switch between the AR and non-AR representation of the three-dimensional. Tap the Share button to share the webpage with someone. To exit the AR view, tap the “X” in the upper-left corner.
Apple have sent out a giant AR invite to their iPhone event next weekhttps://t.co/xCohWSfx5x pic.twitter.com/Cs7jZq6j03
— Andrew Hart (@AndrewProjDent) October 6, 2020
Apple has a collection of AR objects that you can interact with on your iPhone, iPad or Mac on its website. Visit that page in Safari and click an object to explore it in augmented reality. These objects are stored in the USDZ format.
→ Apple October 13 “Hi, Speed” event wallpapers
The QuickLook feature in macOS and iOS 12 or later allows you to preview them in AR or 3D space on your device. In January, Apple released a new Mac app in beta, dubbed Reality Converter, designed for working with USDZ and 3D AR files. If you’re a registered Apple developer, you can download Reality Converter from Apple’s developer website.
Deciphering the October 13 invite
Like every time Apple announces a major media event, this time around the community has been looking for clues in the invite graphics as to what we might see at the event. Aside from the widely expected iPhone 12 family with 5G capability and other perks, Apple could unveil a range of other products and accessories.
Rumors have indicated that a smaller, more affordable HomePod, an over-ear premium headphones (possibly named AirPods Studio) and item-tracking accessories (dubbed AirTags) might on the docket for the October 13 event.
This is based on the invite graphics that seem to bear a strong resemblance to AirTags or a new HomePod. The biggest clue is the “Hi, Speed” tagline itself which strongly suggests a focus on Apple’s new in-house designed processors. To me, that could mean that we might see a rumored Apple TV overhaul with significantly improved graphics or even Apple’s first Mac powered by its own silicon.
This isn’t the first time Apple has used augmented reality to drum up excitement ahead of a major event. Just last month, for instance, it did the same thing with the “Time Flies” new iPad and Apple Watch event.