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We’ve been hearing rumors about a new augmented reality headset from Apple for years, but it’s unclear when the company plans to introduce this product. Although some rumors had pointed to the launch in 2020, this has not happened, and now a new rumor suggests that Apple’s AR glasses will arrive this year. Read on for our full breakdown of Apple’s AR device rumors.
First rumors
The first rumors about an AR device from Apple emerged in 2017 when Bloomberg reported that Apple was working on its own AR headsets to be introduced sometime in 2020. The report mentioned that Apple was internally testing a new headset with a packaged system similar to the Apple Watch Series 1 chip, which would run a new “rOS” iOS-based operating system.
Although From Bloomberg The first report didn’t provide much detail on what this device would look like beyond being an “AR headset”, Financial times He said in the same year that Apple was developing augmented reality glasses that would have 3D cameras and rely on the iPhone to function. Apple introduced the ARKit API with iOS 11 that year, further enhancing augmented reality technology for iOS applications.
In early 2018, Apple began discussions with companies that make components for AR and VR devices, including EMagin, which produces OLED display components for these types of headphones. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that Apple had plans to start mass production of its first augmented reality product between 2019 and 2020, but also warned that the schedule could change as the project had not been finalized by then.
Specifications, design and features
In the same report, Kuo mentioned that Apple’s first generation AR headset will rely heavily on the iPhone, just like the first generation Apple Watch. The analyst said that all data from the “Apple glasses” will be processed on the iPhone and the new device will function as an augmented reality display.
Using the iPhone to do the heavy lifting of Apple’s AR headphones should allow the company to build a much lighter and more comfortable accessory to wear, just like regular glasses, which would not be possible if the device were a complete machine. Independent.
Apple “confirmed” in 2019 that the company is working on some kind of AR device thanks to some internal files that were left in an iOS 13 build and found by 9to5Mac. A new internal system called StarBoard is responsible for rendering and managing AR images on the iPhone and displaying them on the AR earbuds, corroborating rumors that this device works similarly to the first Apple Watch with WatchKit apps.
The iOS 13 code also revealed that the company has been testing AR mode with apps like Maps, Find My, and Quick Look (for exploring web content in AR), as well as APIs to support games and other apps. Since then, Apple has been filing patents related to a device that can “provide virtual 3D views of a user’s environment augmented with virtual content.”
Bloomberg He then described Apple’s AR headphones as glasses that can display text, emails, maps, games, and other things through holographic displays built into the lens. Last year, Mark Gurman revealed that the company has two strategies for its augmented reality devices, one is AR glasses and the other is more robust AR / VR glasses.
According to the report, the headsets aim to combine the best of AR and VR to deliver industry-leading gaming and content virtual reality experiences, while the thin and light goggles will be AR-only and focus on overlaying data such as maps of navigation on what the user is seeing in the real world.
Another report from Information stated that Apple has made progress with the semi-transparent lenses in its AR glasses, which reportedly went into trial production in July last year.
The Information reports that its sources say that Apple has been working on semi-transparent lenses with its main manufacturing partner Foxconn since 2018. That moment also coincides with when Apple bought Akonia Holographics, a company that specializes in liquid crystal displays on silicon for project images on special screens. lenses.
When to expect Apple’s AR headphones?
2020 is gone and Apple hasn’t announced any AR-focused devices as some rumors predicted. Bloomberg He once said that Apple AR / VR headsets would be introduced in 2021 or 2022, while “Apple Glasses” would only arrive in 2023 due to difficulties in developing and manufacturing them. This information was later corroborated by other sources.
This week, trusted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple will indeed announce its first augmented reality device in 2021, though it didn’t mention whether it will be AR / VR headsets or AR glasses. A device like this is likely to be announced at the end of the year, when Apple normally unveils its new hardware lineup or at least at WWDC in June with the new “rOS” operating system.
The fact is that Apple has been increasingly improving its ARKit API and also the cameras of its devices to provide a better augmented reality experience. The LiDAR scanner, which was introduced with the iPad Pro 2020 and has also been included in the iPhone 12 Pro models, is definitely something that should fit perfectly in a new AR device.
Would you be interested in a new Apple AR device? What do you expect from this headset? Let us know in the comments below.
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