Apple Spatial Videos and the Future of Memory

Like many people, I was glued to my computer yesterday, watching the livestream of Apple's event. Despite my excitement of finally updating my phone's storage (too many NeRFs), what really pushed me over the edge was the acknowledgement of a brand new feature. Specifically Spatial Video, something that Apple briefly showcased in their unveiling of the Vision Pro headset earlier this year.

I have continually said that I believe the evolution of photography and memory capture has been in the beginning stages and this announcement only supercharges that belief.

Additionally, I think it's now clear that Apple shares the same vision that we are heading towards a future powered by completely photorealistic three dimensional memories. While the standard iPhone is an amazing capture device, it seems that Apple is fully preparing itself to provide even better tools to its consumers to allow for high quality captures and the ability to "relive" memories in full 3D. Meaning, you won't need to be wearing the headset to capture these spatial photos, like in the well intentioned, but unfortunately executed marketing video.

As Apple also showcased, it will be possible to share these captures across users and I believe that companies will begin scrambling to offer services that integrate seamlessly.

My bet is on Luma CEO, Amit Jain, who previous to starting Luma, worked on the headset.

Apple knows that this is the future and they are not the only trillion dollar company publicly stating so. Google has publicly showcased their intention to move into NeRFs, and Meta's Mark Zuckerberg also highlighting NeRFs. With more and more companies joining the fray, I'm excited, but impatient.

Now Apple is beginning to put 3D capture at the square focus of their new phones into consumer hands. Platforms such as Luma also has been shipping their platform for close to a year, allowing anyone with an iPhone or access to a web browser to create a revisitable memory or interaction.

While the Spatial Video feature does not have a hard release date set yet, they are coming sooner than you think and I am further excited for Spatial Photos afterwards. Truthfully, I did not believe that this would be even showed at this event, but again I have underestimated the progress of technology.

If you're as impatient as I am, you can begin right now with NeRFs. We're undergoing a fundamental revolution in the ways that human life is documented and shared.

The iPhone 15 Pro starts at $999, while the iPhone 15 Pro Max starts at $1,199 .