Apple’s WWDC announcement hints at Stereo 3D technology

Apple’s 2013 Worldwide Developers Conference has a graphic that is strongly suggestive of stereo 3D rendering and it has us wondering what that may be?

What About This Stereo Graphic Image

If our read on this image turns out to be correct about something involving 3D technology we have a number of suggestions that bear mentioning here. But first let’s recall that Apple has a filed patent for auto stereoscopic display technology. That patent was first filed in 2010.

In a nutshell Apple may introduce revolutionary new 3D holographic technology similar to the technology by a Hungarian company called HoloGrafika. And HoloGrafika’s technology is pretty darn cool!

Apple’s patent explains that “autostereoscopic displays are appealing because they hold the prospect of offering the best experiential approximation to the optical characteristics of a real object.” That plays very well into everything from gaming to product design.

01 – Apple’s upcoming 2013 WWDC graphic looks like a play on stereo 3D.

What could Apple be doing with 3D imaging technology relative to computers and even a television? Actually a lot!

Here are some thoughts:

• Apple may finally unveil its long rumored Apple TV, a full television system not just the intelligent iTV device box it currently sells. Could Apple introduce a new TV with some kind of new 3D stereo imagery technology? Absolutely. Though we find this type of “volumetric” and holographic 3D technology difficult to picture in use for regular movies and television.
• 3D Apple Cinema Display — Apple mentions the many applications of its patented 3D imaging technology such as: not just computer graphics where Apple has much to gain with a resurgent Mac OS X market presence and iOS leading presence, but also medical imaging, flight simulation, air traffic control, battlefield simulation, weather and environment, robotics, biomechanical engineering, virtual reality, and gaming and entertainment in addition to others.

Late last year Slashgear reported that a Morgan Stanley report claimed Apple’s TV patents include one where the invention “involves a groundbreaking 3D imaging and display system that optically detects human positions and motions, projects virtual objects onto a display area, and provides audio and visual feedback.” You can read that report here.