Apple takes augmented reality and machine learning beyond "Big Data"

Augmented reality (AR) and machine learning (ML) technologies have been around for years, but until now their use has mostly been limited to processing massive volumes of cloud data for specialized industries and applications. For instance, AR applications have been used in military systems for years, and online retailers have always used some form of ML to better understand and influence buying decisions. Now, with the release of iOS 11 and the new iPad Pro, Apple is making these technologies accessible to a much broader group of developers and non-technical users alike. Apple is known for democratizing very complex technologies by making them less expensive and easier to use. This is now the case with AR and ML in iOS 11 and iPad Pro.