AR Apps Allow Users to Practice Virtual Feng Shui

Dallas iOS app developers are excited that iOS 11 is finally here — and with it, ARKit, Apple’s new augmented reality platform. Because apps developed with ARKit are now available to anyone with an iPhone 6 or later, it is the biggest AR platform in the world. Ever since Apple announced the platform at WWDC back in June, developers have had the chance to put together apps that showcase and experiment with AR technology. Now that iOS 11 has arrived, we finally get the chance to check out this new wave of augmented reality apps.

One of the cool things about AR is that it has the ability to close the gap between shopping in the store and shopping online. In the case of big purchases like furniture, AR offers some advantages that you can’t find at the store. While iOS app developers haven’t yet figured out how to let someone virtually test sit on a couch or test sleep on a mattress, they have figured out how to use AR to let consumers see what a new couch or bed looks like in their houses. IKEA has launched an app using ARKit that brings more than 2,000 pieces of its furniture into users’ (digital) living rooms. If only they could create an app that would simulate the taste of those meatballs…

Another similar app comes from interior design and home improvement platform Houzz. The freshly updated app, appropriately enough called View in My Room 3D, enables users to view a catalog of a half a million pieces of furniture or interior design elements in 3D images of rooms in their house. Harnessing the power of ARKit, the app is better able to replicate objects’ textures and the ambiance of the room. Houzz has boasted some pretty impressive results from earlier versions of the app, claiming that customers are 11 times more likely to make a purchase after toying around with View in My Room 3D. iOS app developers expect that the improved AR will only increase sales further — and draw in new users who just want to fantasize about their perfect homes.