Apple Sets Sights on Augmented Reality for iOS Devices

Apple was awarded on Tuesday a patent for an augmented reality system that combines the real world with computer-generated imagery

According to the patent filing — which was first filed in January 2010 — an Apple device could receive live video overlaced by informational layer that pops up to give more information about the objects on screen

This sounds a bit like VH1's Pop-Up Video from the 90s, with tidbits of information displaying on screen as a music videos play. But could this be the future of iOS devices as we know it?

"Information about the real world environment can be stored and retrieved as an information layer which can be overlaid on the live view and interacted with by a user," Apple explained in the filing. "Despite strong academic and commercial interest in AR systems, many existing AR systems are complex and expensive, making such systems unsuitable for general use by the average consumer."