Apple’s New AR Scanning Feature; TikTok Joins the Avatar Party

Let’s call it like it is: Apple’s event on Monday made it seem all but certain that its mixed reality headset won’t debut until 2023. Supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo now believes that’s the case, reasoning that lockdowns in Shanghai have slowed development such that a reveal before January likely wouldn’t make sense. With just the few exceptions noted in yesterday’s Reality Check aside, there was little to suggest that Apple is ready to spring the device on the world.

That’s not to say that there was no AR news from Monday’s event. The new version of Apple’s ARKit adds support for 4K video and simultaneous access to front and back cameras on iPhones and iPads, desirable features that will improve AR on today’s devices. Out of all the announcements, though, the debut of the RoomPlan interface is the one that has mobile AR developers and headset believers alike excited for what Apple’s cooking up.