Content junkies and armchair travelers, rejoice! Apple’s newly granted patent gives you something to celebrate! The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office finally granted Apple’s request for a feature allowing for people to take group selfies even when they are miles apart.
Most people don’t post endless photos only of themselves. People like to see where you are, who you’re with, and what you are doing. However, with many people still in lockdown mode as COVID-19 is spiking anew in several places, many of us are at home, by ourselves or with our cohabitants, and–oh, I don’t know–baking bread again, binge-watching something on Hulu, or signing online petitions. The people we follow on social media are also doing something similar.
It’s simply not super stimulating content. I am curious to see how this group selfie software will work. Will it be an app or included in the next iOS software update? Will the photos and videos look pretty realistic, like a pro Photoshop job? Will it look like a green screen scene? How will Apple adjust for distance and perspective? Nobody wants a weird-sized head in these photos.
The host invites friends to take selfies, and the software superimposes the images into the photo. In the sketch for the patent, it looks like video and livestreaming are options, too, so the software would need to work in real time. We can assume it will be a little rough, at least in version 1.0. It still sounds fun. They should put it on the market right now as an app. Do you hear that, Apple? We want it.
It would allow those physically distancing to pretend like they are together. Those socially distant 2020 graduates can take countless photos with their friends after all. Families unable to visit each other can still take a family photo to document this, life in the strangest timeline. Maybe someone wants to get the jump on holiday photos.
Even more importantly, people could take photos with loved ones on the front lines who are quarantining apart from their families, or with loved ones in hospitals. Apple applied for the patent all the way back in 2018, but the function seems more useful than ever now. Love or hate selfies, they are a bonafide thing. Humans crave connection. Documenting our time together is a way to preserve our memories. I’m curious to see what this software can do.
