Apple can use augmented reality for sales and technical support
A Apple has filed two patent applications describing the use of a hardware augmented reality (AR) for sales and technical support applications. With the new feature, “personal shoppers” would present products interactively at the customer’s home.
In some cases, the Apple already has augmented reality services. For example, when a Mac Pro buyer asks to view the dimensions of the machine on his personal desk.
The patents
As mentioned above, both requests refer to the use of augmented reality in the sales app. Apple. In both, there is a description of a seller showing the product live.
According to the company, the justification for the patents would be the lack of “instant feedback, answers to questions, suggestions and human connection” in an online shopping experience. “The user cannot fully interact with the online representation of the product and cannot experience a complete demonstration of the latter in a remote environment,” says one of the applications.
The patent “Guided Retail Experience” (in Portuguese, “guided retail experience”) proposes to present products to the user through a virtual store in augmented reality.
The other one, “Guided Consumer Experience” (in Portuguese, “Guided Consumer Experience”), suggests a personalized viewing experience to the customer. Some of the features in this app are similar to those in Apple Glass – one example is the price comparison alternative.
Patent shows a personal shopper from Apple doing a demonstration at the client's home (Reproduction/US Patent and Trademark Office)
Virtual store
One of the plans of Apple is to create a “computer-generated augmented reality environment.” For the American company, online shopping demands too much from users, who need to “navigate menus or search to find a product.”
Instead, the Apple proposes an augmented reality sales app for users – at home or at work – to have the same benefits as an in-person experience. In this space, products would be represented by virtual objects. The customer could also choose, according to the patent, different angles to view a product.
Personalized consumption
The other patent, “Guider Consumer Experience,” covers the same topic but goes into more detail about the salesperson’s video presentation. Drawings in the patent show a familiar iOS app with the addition of an option called “Shop with an Expert.”
According to the patent, the seller would enable the product to be displayed on the user's device through "an electronic communication session." From there, the user could "manipulate the product to view various parts and features."
Patent detail shows an App Store app with a remote salesperson in the video (Photo: US Patent and Trademark Office)
In both patent applications, the Apple proposes a range of interactions. The seller can appear in a window similar to a chat box, only with video. Or their figure can be displayed as augmented reality in the user's room.
A Apple It may also include augmented reality as an option in the App Store, for users who want practicality in sales. For those less familiar with technology, AR could be a way to test the potential of the iPhone.
Augmented reality in focus
In recent weeks, several patent information has emerged from Apple involving augmented reality. One of them describes an AR headset with liquid lenses for nearsighted people. The device would work with a hydraulic system that would be able to adjust the visor lenses to the user's degree of myopia.
Furthermore, the Apple Glass, which may reach the market this year, also has augmented reality.
Through which channels you reach those people, classic and out of the box. Apple Insider
