Leak Suggests that New iPhone Could Support Augmented Reality

News about the secret iPhone 8 is leaking, and these details support earlier speculation that Apple is looking to support augmented reality (AR). This will mean that owners of the iPhone 8 would potentially not need other gear — as is the case many AR games in development, like Magic Leap — to play (at least some) AR games.

This intel was released by Gordon Kelly of Forbes, who recently wrote that he obtained files pertaining to the latest iPhone model through the case designer Nodus. He then rendered the information to visualize a design of the phone's exterior.

The new smartphone will reorient the rear-facing camera to be more friendly to landscape mode by switching from a horizontally aligned camera to a vertically aligned shooter. This could support AR because screens that are in landscape mode are thought to be more effective for AR.

The iPhone 8 will also be bigger than the previous model and will do away with the home button, Kelly reported. This ambitious, sleek design comes as the iPhone's 10th anniversary approaches.

If the reports are correct, then Apple is staying true to form by staying one step ahead of trendy new technology. Who knows — perhaps this push will prevent a Facebook engineer's prediction that AR will replace smartphones by 2022 from coming to pass.