Apple’s VR spectacles that beam texts onto your real-world view ‘to hit shelves in 2022’
APPLE is building a pair of VR goggles that sit on your face like spectacles - and they could hit shelves in 2022.
That's according to the latest leak from respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who regularly predicts the California firm's products before they launch.
"Apple Glasses" will reportedly beam holographic images like the time, weather and messages onto your real-world view using augmented reality.
Augmented reality is when virtual images are placed on top of your view of your surroundings.
A simple example is a Snapchat filter, or the Pokémon Go game app.
Putting AR inside a pair of slim specs is a goal for many tech firms – and Apple has been widely rumoured to be among them.
According to Kuo, who works for Hong Kong investment management firm TF Securities, Apple's secretive AR specs will launch in 2022 "at the earliest".
In a note to investors, he said the glasses will use a pricey laminated lens to display digital content over a user's view.
Previous rumours have suggested text messages, news stories, weather updates and more could be displayed using the glasses.
Apple is also developing an “affordable” 10.8-inch iPad that could launch later this year, and a new mini-sized iPad with a display between 8.5 and 9-inches large for 2021, Kuo said.
“We predict that Apple will launch the new 10.8 inch iPad and 8.5–9 inch iPad mini models in 2H20 and 1H21, respectively,” Kuo wrote in the note.
Virtual Reality vs Augmented Reality – what's the difference?
Here's what you need to know...
- Virtual reality involves using a headset to simulate a virtual world
- In a VR world, everything you see will be computer-generated
- Popular VR headsets include the HTC Vive and Facebook's Oculus Rift
- Augmented reality lets you see the real world, but "augments" (or adds on) computer-generated elements
- This means you'll be able to see computer images overlaid onto your real-world view
- For instance, you could wear glasses that overlay directions onto the road in front of you
- Popular AR headsets include Microsoft's HoloLens and the Google Glass spectacles
“The two new iPad models will follow iPhone SE’s product strategy, and selling points will be the affordable price tag and the adoption of fast chips."
Apple's mysterious AR goggles, thought to be called Apple Glasses, have allegedly been in the works for years.
They're expected to look like traditional spectacles, which would be a contrast to bulky AR and VR headsets we've seen previously.
Apple has invested a lot in virtual tech in recent years, crafting handing out tools for creating AR and VR tools such as ARKit and RealityKit, as well as creative tools like Reality Composer and Reality Converter.
It's also loaded a LiDAR Scanner - used for AR and VR tools - onto the new iPad Pro, and will likely do the same for its upcoming iPhones.
Apple hasn't confirmed plans to debut any smart glasses just yet, but it's likely that the tech giant is working on such a device.
Most of its competitors have already dabbled in virtual reality and augmented reality, including Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Samsung, LG, and HTC.
Previous reports have suggested the new device uses a "catadioptric system" that uses curved mirrors and lenses to combine refraction and reflection.
This means that Apple could ditch the magnifying lenses you find in most traditional VR headsets, potentially reducing the overall weight.
In a patent that surfaced on the web last year, Apple admitted that current virtual reality and augmented reality headsets are too heavy.
"If care is not taken, a head-mounted display may be cumbersome and tiring to wear," the firm said. "Extended use of a head-mounted display with this type of optical system may be uncomfortable."
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