We’ve heard rumors about a new augmented reality headset from Apple for years, but it’s not clear when the company plans to launch this product. Although some rumors pointed to the launch in 2020, it didn’t – and now a new rumor suggests that Apple’s AR glasses are coming this year. Read on to learn more about the rumors of Apple AR devices.
First rumors
The first rumors about an Apple AR device emerged in 2017, when Bloomberg reported that Apple was working on its own AR headset to be launched in 2020. The report mentioned that Apple was internally testing a new headset with a System-in-Package similar to the Apple Watch Series 1 chip, which would run a new “rOS” operating system based on iOS.
although Bloomberg’s The first report didn’t provide much detail about what this device looks like other than being an “AR headset”, Financial Times said the same year that Apple was developing augmented reality glasses that would have 3D cameras and depend on the iPhone to function. Apple released the ARKit API with iOS 11 that year, which further enhanced augmented reality technology for iOS applications.
In early 2018, Apple started discussions with companies that develop components for AR and VR devices, including EMagin – which produces OLED screen components for this type of headset. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said 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 has not yet been finalized.
Specifications, design and features
In the same report, Kuo mentioned that the first generation of the Apple AR headset will be heavily dependent on the iPhone, as will the first generation of the Apple Watch. The analyst said that all data from the “Apple glasses” will be rendered and processed on the iPhone, with the new device functioning as an AR screen.
Using the iPhone to do the heavy lifting of the Apple AR headset should allow the company to build a much lighter and more comfortable accessory to wear – just like ordinary glasses, which would not be possible if the device were a complete and independent machine.
Apple “confirmed” in 2019 that the company is working on some type 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 showing them on the AR headset, which corroborates rumors about this device working 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 (to explore web content in AR), as well as APIs to support games and other apps. Since then, Apple has been filing patent applications related to a device that can “provide virtual 3D views of a user’s environment expanded with virtual content.”
Bloomberg then he described Apple’s AR headset as glasses that can show text, emails, maps, games and other things through holographic screens embedded in the lenses. Last year, Mark Gurman revealed that the company has two strategies for its augmented reality devices, one being AR glasses and the other a more robust AR / VR headset.
According to the report, the headset aims to combine the best of AR and VR to deliver industry-leading VR gaming and content experiences, while thin, lightweight glasses will be AR only and will focus on overlaying data such as maps navigation on what the user is seeing in the real world.
Another report from The information said Apple made progress with the semitransparent lenses in its AR glasses, which reportedly went into experimental production in July last year.
Information reports that its sources say Apple has been working on semitransparent lenses with its main manufacturing partner Foxconn since 2018. That moment also coincides with when Apple bought Akonia Holographics – a company specializing in liquid crystal on silicon screens to design lens images.
When to expect the Apple AR headset?
2020 is over, 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 come 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 – although he has not mentioned whether this will be the AR / VR headset or AR glasses. A device like this is likely to be announced later this year, when Apple will generally introduce its new line of hardware or at least at WWDC in June with the new “rOS” operating system.
The fact is that Apple is increasingly improving its ARKit API and also the cameras of its devices to provide a better experience of augmented reality. The LiDAR scanner, which was introduced with the iPad Pro 2020 and was also included in the iPhone 12 Pro models, is definitely something that should fit perfectly into 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.
FTC: We use affiliate links for cars that generate revenue. More.
Check out 9to5Mac on YouTube for more news from Apple: