Apple Spotlights Key iOS 11.3 Features

Apple on Wednesday unveiled new features that will become available when iOS 11.3 is released this spring.

The company has released the developer preview of iOS 11.3 to members of the iOS Developer Program. A public beta of the update is expected shortly.

The update will provide new ways to experience augmented reality on the iPhone and iPad, offer new Animoji on the iPhone X, and give users a consolidated view of their health records in the Health app.

A beta version of ARKit -- Apple's AR dev platform for iOS mobile devices -- also has been released to devs.

ARKit 1.5 can turn posters, signs and artwork into interactive AR experiences. It can recognize and place virtual objects on vertical surfaces such as walls and doors.

"There has been lots of buzz around ARKit," said Ramon Llamas, research manager at IDC.

"Apple's helping democratize AR and that's a very smart way to do it," he told TechNewsWorld, "with a significant installed base of users, particularly on the iPhone X."

Apple has been scrabbling to remain competitive in AR, suggested Michael Jude, research manager at Stratecast Frost & Sullivan.

"The Android family of phones is already well on its way to AR," he told TechNewsWorld. "Apple has had the hardware platform, but has been slow on the software side. It think they're looking at being left in the dust if they don't deliver some real application capabilities."