Apple’s Quick Look lets you shop in augmented reality

Apple’s augmented reality (AR) tool—Quick Look—has been upgraded to let iOS users view superimposed 3D images of products in the real world, and then buy them directly.

Since Quick Look was first introduced in 2018, Apple users have been able to see realistic renderings of products—from washing machines to sofas—in their intended location.

Now with the new added functionality of a button, the lines between the real and digital world are being blurred even further. Companies including Home Depot, Wayfair, and Bang & Olufsen are set to roll out functionality that will allow Apple users to not only preview products in AR mode, but also click to learn more, initiate a customer support chat, or purchase the product with Apple Pay.

Streamlining shopping

Viewing products in augmented reality makes customers 11 times more likely to purchase, and 22 percent less likely to return the item, according to Houzz CEO Adi Tatarko.

Apple seems to have taken this to heart, and is planning to enhance Quick Look even further with spatial audio that will allow shoppers to hear the swoosh and click of washing machines, or listen to music through 3D models of speakers.

AR and virtual reality are just two of the technologies reshaping the world of retail payments. Artificial intelligence is increasingly being used for fraud detection and automation, and 5G is lowering latency and adding data capacity to mobile payment networks.

As for cryptocurrency, some suggest it is only a matter of time until Apple will integrate the technology.

The tech firm has filed several blockchain-related patents and released a ‘CryptoKit’ in the summer of 2019 that gives developers the ability to build blockchain or crypto-based apps. Though this is a foundational infrastructure, it provides the basic mechanics of a system for storing private keys that could one day turn the iPhone into a hardware wallet.

In typical Apple fashion, the tech giant has not made known any official plans for cryptocurrency, but representatives from the company have made positive comments.

Speaking to CNN’s Chief Business Correspondent Christine Romans at a private event in San Francisco last year, Apple Pay VP Jennifer Bailey said Apple was paying attention to the sector. “We’re watching cryptocurrency. We think it’s interesting. We think it has interesting long-term potential.”