These days, it seems that a lot of smartphones available in the market are offering a 3d depth-sensing time of flight (ToF) rear sensors. Chinese smartphones made by Oppo and Vivo were the first to introduce them in the market. Based on a new report, Apple is joining the bandwagon of the ToF sensor, but it will not be on its next-generation iPhone 12 series but on iPad.
The Time of Flight sensor on smartphones has become a craze these days. Apple was rumored last year to kickstart the AR/VR release with its iPhone 12 5G models releasing this year. But, it seems that the first Apple product that will feature this is not going to be this year's iPhone 12 but the next-generation iPad, according to a report from a Korean media.
The report, unfortunately, does not specify which iPad model will feature the AR/VR Apple platform. However, according to Phone Arena, considering that the iPad Pro 2020 refresh was earlier leaked in a CAD-based render, it assumes that it will be the iPad model that will bear Apple's first-ever Time of Flight sensor. The leaked iPad Pro 2020 render reveals a massive camera island as well as three cameras at the back.
The iPad Pro refresh is anticipated to launch at an event in March this year, according to Phone Arena. In other words, it will not be long until we could see the next iPad Pro release if the report pans out. If the iPad Pro releasing this year will indeed feature Time of flight sensor, we might be able to see how Apple will apply its augmented and virtual reality.
Apple iPhones feature TrueDepth camera configuration that utilizes structured light to make 30,000 points and recreate the 3D face matrix. On the other hand, the Time of Flight camera utilizes a sensor as well as an auxiliary light kit that can sense and map up to ten times of both the distance and points of light. In other words, the Time of Flight creates many more opportunities in 3D space sensing the world around.
Over the past months, several reports claimed that Apple is knee-deep developing products and technology that would integrate augmented or virtual reality or both. But, it is worth noting that these reports are not official and are mostly based on leaks and speculations. In this case, we suggest taking this information with a pinch of salt. We will surely keep you posted on the latest news and updates on the next-generation Apple iPad Pro as soon as we get interesting details.
