Qualcomm has launched an iOS version of its Augmented Reality (AR) Software Development Kit (SDK). The SDK is available for download in a public beta from Qualcomm’s Austria Research Center. The company says the expansion of its AR Platform from Android to iOS enables developers to use Apple's XCode and Unity 3 to build high-performance, interactive 3D AR experiences.

The Android version of the AR SDK was released in October 2010. Qualcomm’s AR platform delivers “a broad range of experiences that entertain, engage and inform consumers with a new form of interactive media”. The platform’s feature set enables developers to build high-performance AR applications and experiences on real world images, such as those used in print media (books, magazines, brochures, tickets, signs) and on product packaging.

Juniper Research has forecast that annual revenues generated by mobile AR applications and services are expected to approach $1.5bn (£910m) by 2015, up from less than $2m in 2010.

You can download the SDK and Extension for Unity for free here.