Jun 5, 2017

Apple takes key steps on augmented, virtual reality

Ina Fried

Screenshot by Axios

After largely sitting on the sidelines, Apple used its big developer conference Monday to announce it is at last moving deeper into AR and VR.

  • On the virtual reality front, Apple announced it is adding support for Steam, Unity and Unreal to High Sierra, the next version of MacOS
  • As for AR, Apple has long interested it is interesting in the space, but it is finally doing something. Apple is offering developers "ARKit" to make it easier for developers to add virtual objects to real images on the iPhone.

Why it matters: AR and VR are often touted as key next frontiers for computing and Apple can't afford to miss out on the next big thing.

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Axios

Coronavirus updates: CDC monitoring 4 presumptive positive cases in western U.S.

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins, the CDC, and China's Health Ministry. Note: China numbers are for the mainland only and U.S. numbers include repatriated citizens.

State public health authorities are monitoring four new presumptive positive cases of the novel coronavirus as of late Friday evening, per the CDC. California is evaluating a second possible instance of community spread as Oregon announced its first possible case. Washington state has two presumptive cases, only one of which is likely travel-related.

The big picture: COVID-19 has killed more than 2,900 people and infected more than 85,000 others in over 60 countries and territories outside the epicenter in mainland China. The number of new cases reported outside China now exceed those inside the country.

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Felix Salmon

Don't panic

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

The stock market is heading south with unprecedented velocity. Does that mean it's crashing? Are we in a recession? Is this a financial crisis?

No, no, and no.

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Stef W. Kight

Sanders' big socialism rebrand

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Bernie Sanders is trying to rebrand socialism in the U.S., but he'll have to overcome common fears about what the word means — fears the Trump campaign is watching and waiting to exploit.

Why it matters: Sanders may face a major challenge in convincing Americans in their 40s or older that there's a meaningful difference between what he supports, described as democratic socialism, and the authoritarian socialism that we've seen in regimes like Venezuela.

Go deeperArrow15 mins ago - Politics & Policy