Apple has just been granted a patent perfect for the current global situation. The company has patented software that would allow you to take group selfies even if you’re not in the group. In other words: you’ll be able to take a selfie with your friends remotely, while keeping the social distance.
It’s worth noting that the patent wasn’t filed with the coronavirus in mind (unless folks at Apple can predict future). According to Patently Apple, it was first filed in 2018, but the US Patent and Trademark Office granted it a few days ago. The patented software would create “a synthetic group selfie” of you and your friends.
Judging from the patent, it allows you to take a photo and include your friends who aren’t with you. They will take photos from their own devices, which will then be composed into a single photo. And it’s not just still images you’ll be able to create. The software will also be able to create videos, and it will even support live streaming.
It’s still not clear when and if Apple will introduce the software and if it will become an app for iPhone, iPad, or both. And if this corona-madness doesn’t end soon, an app like this will sure be useful. I mean, even if you need to keep the social distancing, Instagram can’t suffer because of it, right? You can’t sacrifice all those likes just because you’re staying at home alone. You can always fake it.
When I turn the sarcasm off, I see software like this simply as something that can be fun to play with. If I were an iPhone user, I’d absolutely try it, out of curiosity. But then, I’d meet my friends in person and we’d go out for a beer. We don’t even have to take a selfie.
What do you think of this Apple’s patent? Do you see it as a useful feature, or is it something that could make us even more distant than we already are?
[via The Verge]
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