Inside the technology behind iOS 7's parallax effect
When iOS 7 arrives this fall, there will be plenty of new features coming our way. From a completely reimagined (if somewhat controversial) look to a new paradigm of user experience, it seems that Apple has gone all out in its attempt to reinvent the mobile operating system for the next decade.
Among these, the “parallax effect” is destined to change the way we physically interact with our mobile electronics. Through a bit of clever programming, it turns the screen into something more: a pane of glass behind which users can see a three-dimensional world that shifts and tilts alongside the device itself.
Perspective and parallax
The basic principle that makes parallax possible is a quirk in the way the human perception of size works. Because the eye works by forcing light through a single point, the brain has learned to measure the size of objects based on the apparent angle between their extremities, as measured from our pupils. As a result, objects that are nearer tend to appear larger, while things that are farther away seem smaller.
This is the basis for our perception of perspective, and parallax is simply the apparent motion that objects take when you move around them. For example, when you travel on a fast car or train, objects that are closer to you appear to move much more quickly than those that are farther away, even though it stands to reason that, in reality, everything is changing place at the same speed.
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