On Monday, Apple held its annual September iPhone event, which included the launch of the iPhone 16 line-up. As we predicted, Apple spotlighted the iPhone 16's AI capabilities and the upcoming features of Apple Intelligence. There's another feature that might be a bigger deal, though: the iPhone 16's camera upgrade.
Some minor camera improvements are part of the usual iPhone refresh. However, this year Apple took things a step further by adding a dedicated camera button and a new camera capability formerly only available on the iPhone 15 Pro called spatial video.
What's especially interesting about spatial video coming to the base iPhone 16 is the fact that it's not really meant for the iPhone. It's meant for the Apple Vision Pro.
Apple adding this feature to the base iPhone 16 is the latest hint about what's next for Apple's Vision headsets. Here's a look at the new camera feature on the iPhone 16 and what it means for the Vision Pro's successor.
The entire iPhone 16 line-up gets a major camera upgrade
During Apple's September iPhone event on September 9, what stood out to me most was the revamped camera experience. The new dedicated camera button on the side of the iPhone 16 is an innovative feature, although not exactly new (it's been on other phones, like the Sony Xperia, for years now). What is new, however, is spatial video and spatial photos.
If you've never heard of spatial videos before, you probably haven't tried out the Apple Vision Pro. Spatial videos and photos are immersive 3D images you can view on Apple's mixed-reality headset.
Capturing them requires a camera capable of recording stereoscopic video, which is a type of 3D that uses "stereo pairs" of images to create the illusion of depth. This is a basic 3D imaging technology that's been used in film and TV for decades. Apple refined this tech for the Vision Pro and added spatial audio to create lifelike videos and photos viewable on its headset.
Previously, capturing spatial video or spatial photos was only possible on the iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max and the Apple Vision Pro. Now Apple is offering this feature to the masses by bringing it to the entire iPhone 16 lineup, including the base model.
Spatial video on the iPhone 16: A preview of the next Vision headset?
At first glance, spatial video on the base iPhone 16 might seem like a throwaway feature. After all, the people opting for a base model iPhone are most likely not in the market for a mixed-reality headset that costs $3,500 like the Apple Vision Pro. As amazing as the Vision Pro is, it's far too expensive for most people.
So, why did Apple put a feature designed for the Vision Pro in the base iPhone 16?
The answer may be that Apple is futureproofing the iPhone 16 line-up in preparation for its next headset. Rumors have been circulating for months now that the successor to the Apple Vision Pro will be much less expensive, perhaps around the price of a MacBook Pro.
At that price, far more people could afford to try out Apple's next headset, potentially including the same people who opt for the base iPhone 16.
Adding spatial video on the base iPhone is akin to Apple saying, "This is no longer a Pro-only feature."
Spatial video could also act as a preview of what Apple's headsets have to offer. Right now, the Vision Pro is still Apple's only headset on the market.
The next model might not be far off, though, and could very well launch before the iPhone 17 lineup. When it does, many iPhone 16 users may now already be familiar with spatial video and eager to try it out on a headset, potentially sparking more interest in the newer, less expensive successor to the Vision Pro.
If there were any doubts that the next Vision headset will be aimed at a wider range of users, rather than only wealthy users, the inclusion of spatial video on the base iPhone 16 should erase those doubts.
It may seem like a little thing, but it wouldn't make sense to include such a feature on the entire iPhone 16 lineup if Apple wasn't planning to offer more ways for more people to use spatial video in the future.
We'll be covering all the latest updates on the iPhone 16 and Apple's Vision headsets, so stay tuned for more details.
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