There have been rumors in the past that Apple is working on its own AR/VR headset. In 2020, Apple acquired the VR startup Spaces as well as NextVR. Hence, it is pretty much confirmed that Apple is indeed working on VR devices. Now, the rumor is doing rounds again, thanks to a report from Bloomberg, which says that the device could launch as soon as 2022. It is said to be a standalone device that operates through batteries, much like the Oculus Quest 2.
The Bloomberg report cites people who know about the development. The Apple VR device will “display an all-encompassing 3-D digital environment for gaming, watching video and communicating.” That said, AR functionality and the ability to overlay images and information over a view of the real world is tipped to be limited. The Apple device will go up against Facebook’s Oculus, Sony’s PlayStation VR, and headsets from HTC.
Much more expensive than its competition
The report goes on to say that the upcoming Apple VR headset has hit several development hurdles, and the company has “conservative” sales expectations. “The plans suggest that Apple’s first headset will be far more expensive than those from rivals, which cost about $300 to $900,” says the report. It goes on to estimate that Apple could sell just over 180,000 units of the device from their retail store. And, that would be on par with other pricey Apple products, including the $5,999 Mac Pro.
More powerful processors than the latest M1 for MacBooks
As for the specifications, Apple is said to be planning on putting a much higher resolution display in the headset than those in current VR offerings. Plus, it aims to include advanced chips more powerful than the latest M1 processors. The Apple VR headset could also have a fan. The presence of fan and powerful processors is said to have resulted in a large and heavy device initially. Hence, the company has reportedly brought the headset closer to the face.
Apple AR Glasses are also in development but they aren't launching anytime soon
On the other hand, Apple AR Glasses (codenamed N421) are also in early development stage. However, they are “several years away.” Current prototypes of the device are tipped to resemble high-priced sunglasses with thick frames that house the battery and chips.
Apple has been overly optimistic about the future of augmented reality (AR) and its promising applications, but the company is yet to reveal much about its AR hardware plans. However, we’ve long been hearing rumors of an Apple AR glass project and even a headset that could debut within the next few years. Now, a new report by Digitimesclaims that Apple is now entering “the second phase of its AR glasses prototype development.”
Don't get your hopes high for a 2021 debut
Right now, details are slim about Apple’s upcoming wearable AR hardware and the features it will bring to the table. However, entering the second phase of prototype development is a sign that Apple’s AR glasses are not too far away, provided things go according to plan and the company doesn’t pull the plugs on its AR glasses project. However, some reports suggest that Apple could make an announcement in 2021, while the market release would happen in 2022.
“Following the second phase, the report claims that the glasses will go through a third phase of development a few months later. Upon completion of the prototype design, the wearable device is expected to go through a 6-9 month period for engineering verification,” reports Macrumorswhich accessed the full Digitimes story.
I can’t believe I’m going against Kuo on this one… but I believe he’s wrong.
Tipster Jon Prosser has claimed in the past that the Apple Glasses will debut in the first half of 2021. But given the prototype testing progress and the need for an even longer engineering verification stage that could last up to 9 months, that seems to be implausible. Noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, on the other hand, has predicted that the Apple Glasses will arrive next year.
The person wearing Apple’s AR glasses would reportedly be able to control them via Siri. Additionally, information such as messages and maps will appear as an overlay before the user’s eyes. Older reports suggest that Apple Glasses will rely on gaze tracking to offer a video AR experience. And to tackle the issue of privacy, Apple will reportedly project an iPad or iPhone’s screen on the display of its upcoming wearable device. Or at least that’s what patents filed by Apple appear to suggest.
We have been getting rumors concerning the new Apple Glasses for quite a while. Some of these rumors suggest that these new AR glasses would be a great accessory that would boost privacy features, while others claim that they may be a powerful wearable product. Luckily, we have just laid our eyes on a patent application filed by Apple in 2016, which could give us an idea of what Apple wants to do with this new hardware.
The guys over at Appleinsider have found an interesting patent application from Apple. We can see that one of the features in the Apple Glasses would be able to make any surface into a virtual touch interface. Further, a person using these Glasses would be able to interact with the mixed virtual/real environment that they are looking at. This could be made possible with the help of an iPad or iPhone as an AR viewfinder, where the user would be able to interact with the AR environment while using a glove or finger sensors. However, finger to surface contact would be possible through infrared heat sensing.
“The present disclosure is related to a method and device for detecting a touch between at least part of a first object and at least part of a second object, wherein the at least part of the first object has a different temperature than the at least part of the second object. The method includes providing at least one thermal image of a portion of the second object, determining in at least part of the at least one thermal image a pattern which is indicative of a particular value or range of temperature or a particular value or range of temperature change, and using the determined pattern for detecting a touch between the at least part of the first object and the at least part of the second object.”
The Apple Glasses would also project controls onto real-world objects, and these would react to the user’s touch. This would be incredible, but let’s remember that it’s still just a patent, and we don’t always get to see patents become real working products or features.
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Buy Samsung Chromebook
Microsoft is already at work optimizing Android 11 for Surface Duo: Report
We had some reports claiming that the Microsoft Surface Duo was coming some time during July. Now, a new report from Windows Latest says that Microsoft is already working on Android 11 for this device. However, we still are expecting it to launch with Android 10 out of the box with Microsoft’s Launcher on top but, according to the report it should get this version of Android 11 fairly quickly, possibly in a couple of months after the release. The specs still remain the same but we’ll see if we get it next month after all.
We have a new spec leak of the Motorola Edge Lite
Another Motorola Edge variant is in works
We just learned through an FCC certification that Motorola is adding a new device to their Edge family. The certification shows a new Moto Edge Lite and now we have a list of specs from a different source. It’ll bring a 6.7in 1080p display at 90Hz and despite bringing the Edge name, it’s not a waterfall display. It brings an on-display fingerprint scanner and a dual punch hole for the selfie cameras. It’ll be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G, bring 4 or 6GB of RAM, and 64 or 128GB of storage. On the camera department it’ll bring a quad camera array including a 48MP main sensor and the other ones will consist of 16MP + 8MP + 5MP. We’re still wondering what exactly makes this variant “lite” but it will be reportedly priced at €399.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5G could arrive with a better processor
Samsung’s Unpacked is pretty much around the corner and, we’re expecting the new Notes, the new Fold and a 5G variant of the Galaxy Z Flip but, it looks like it will be more than just the addition of 5G. According to a new SamMobile report, the Z Flip 5G just went through Geekbench and it has a significant spec bump. According to the listing, it’ll be powered by the Snapdragon 865 instead of the 855+. The report also mentions that the phone will most likely be more expensive than the original variant considering that it now brings 5G capabilities and a new processor.
Apple Glasses could use eye tracking to deliver video AR experiences
We have a new patent application from Apple that shows us how their AR Glasses might work and they’re actually pretty complicated. They’re described as a “head-mounted display” in the patent and they would work by using one or more gaze tracking sensors, one or more image sensors and a processing apparatus. Here’s the thing, the original script was to describe all the technical jargon of what this means, but I do value not getting you drunk before you’ve had your first drink. In a nutshell, the technology would use video to complete your “AR” experience by laying AR content over your real-world environment, kind of like the way the IKEA app works. Rumors have it that this headset might launch until 2022 and they’ll be considered an iPhone accessory as you’re getting the information from the iPhone. Guys, trust me, you don’t wanna read the patent. It’s not made for regular humans like you and me.
Story of the day:
A Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra may arrive with more power and less bezels than the Note 20+
And finally, the hottest news today have to do with the Galaxy Note you might actually want to buy this year. See, yesterday the topic was all about the Galaxy Note 20 being all stripped down, but I guess today we learn why Samsung wants to push that plus variant. We have a new tweet from Ice Universe where he mentions a Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. Again, not sure if the final name will be Ultra, but you get the picture. It still isn’t fully clear if the Ultra will be a completely separate variant or if he’s talking about the Note 20+ here but let’s assume this a separate variant. On the tweet he mentions this is an Evolution version of the Note 10+, it’ll bring a Snapdragon 865+, and a QHD+120Hz display with LTPO technology for better power efficiency. The tweet also mentions some new camera functions and a new S-Pen with new features. He also showed some images on the tweet but later on he clarified that the images were of a Note 10+. Some time ago we heard a rumor of the Note 20 Ultra coming after the Unpacked and bringing this Snapdragon 865+ so that could still be the case.
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Several analysts and tech experts believe that Apple is working on an AR headset. A new patent describes how Cupertino would use gaze tracking to give video AR experiences on its ‘head-mounted- display,’ which we commonly refer to as the Apple Glasses.
“Head-mounted displays are used to provide virtual reality, augmented reality, and/or mixed reality experiences for users. Video from a virtual reality or mixed reality experience may be recorded for later playback or analysis. Gaze-tracking sensors may be used to provide an indication of where a subject person is currently looking […]
The subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in systems that include one or more gaze-tracking sensors, one or more image sensors, and a processing apparatus configured to: access gaze data captured using the one or more gaze-tracking sensors; apply a temporal filter to the gaze data to obtain a smoothed gaze estimate; determine a region of interest based on the smoothed gaze estimate, wherein the region of interest identifies a subset of a field of view of the one or more image sensors; access a frame of video captured using the one or more image sensors; and apply signal processing to the frame of video based on the region of interest to obtain an enhanced frame of video.”
According to Apple’s latest patent application, the new Apple Glasses would use video to complete the AR experience, by laying over AR content over the real-world environment. It would also use multiple image sensors and a mix of sensor-selecting and digital zoom to capture what the user is looking at.
“Moving the recording box with the gaze center point can result in a jittery video. Some implementations run a smoothing or stabilization algorithm on top of gaze center points to avoid jitter in recorded video and get a more pleasant recording.
Apple notes that smartglasses will be able to work with an iPhone, an iPad, a MacBook, a desktop computer, a smart TV, a smart speaker and more.”
It is believed that these Apple Glasses may be an iPhone accessory since the AR content would be wirelessly transmitted from the Apple Phone, even though the patent suggests that it may also work with more Apple products. Some rumors also say that this headset may launch until 2022, or maybe even later than that.
Ming-Chi Kuo has recently predicted that the future Apple Glasses would launch in 2022. However, Jon Prosser believes that these new AR glasses may be presented in March or June 2021, with plans to release them in 2022. This doesn’t sound so hard to believe since Apple has recently introduced some devices that take several months to arrive. Take for example the original Apple Watch, which was presented in September 2014, to launch in April 2015, the HomePod was presented in June 2017, and it arrived until February 2018, and the AirPower, well, we’re still waiting for that one.
According to rumors, Apple may be working on two AR devices, and the time between their announcement and their launch may give developers enough time to create apps for the AR platform. It also helps to prevent leaks, like the one Prosser may present soon when he shows us these possible Apple Glasses.
Although virtual reality headsets have (moderately) taken off much faster than their mixed reality smartglasses counterparts, and Google’s commercial stumbles in the latter market may serve as a cautionary tale for fellow tech veterans and big-name rivals, it looks like Microsoft, Qualcomm and even Apple are still keen to give AR hardware a try.
Yes, that seemingly unfounded rumor about a Cupertino-made pair of augmented reality goggles a couple of months back picks up a little more steam today, thanks to the investigative work of blogger, technology evangelist, author, and consultant for the immersive media world Robert Scoble.
Scoble first sniffed there was something going on at Carl Zeiss’ CES 2017 booth last week, when the German company’s employees “smiled nervously” at a Tim Cook joke meant to justify the absence of mixed reality optics prototypes, despite the lens specialist’s occupancy of an exhibition space dedicated to AR.
After doing some digging, the journalist was purportedly able to confirm speculation that Apple and Carl Zeiss AG are working on a “light pair of augmented reality/mixed reality glasses that may be announced this year.”
An obviously unnamed Zeiss employee is cited as the “confirmation’s” source, and while Apple has a reputation for dragging out the R&D process of avant-garde products like this one sounds, all signs start to point to a 2017 release. No concrete evidence however, so let’s keep our expectations pragmatically low.
