Apple prepares for release For all mankind season 2 on Apple TV Plus. It starts things off with a new augmented reality app, For all mankind: Time Capsule, which wants to fill the gap between the two seasons by using AR artifacts from the world of the show.
The app itself is a fun gimmick to promote the second season of one of Apple’s more original apps at a higher level. It’s the broader strategy that is being played that is interesting.
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It’s no secret that Apple is interested in AR. The recurring AR demos during the recent announcements of the iPhone and iPad products, the addition of AR-focused LIDAR cameras on the latest iPad Pro and iPhone 12 Pro devices, and the persistent rumors of the company’s pending VR / AR headphones are all clear proof of that. And Apple has reportedly been working on the plug-in app for a while now.
But For all mankind: Time Capsule is one of the first indications that Apple is tying all of its hardware, content and service ambitions together. This is an augmented reality app that downloads from the App Store and prompts users to sign in to Apple TV Plus to watch For all mankind, with additional content for LIDAR-equipped Apple devices.
This is the kind of cross-promotional content that spans Apple’s wide range of businesses. It can also take a look at the kind of integrated hardware, software, and service bundle that Apple may consider for future AR devices.