The Future Of Content Delivery
Apple’s release of its long-awaited Apple Glasses has generated a lot of buzz.
Google Glass was the first wearable computer to hit the mainstream market. It was a dorky-looking headset with a tiny display that allowed users to take photos and video, receive notifications from their phones, and search the web using voice commands. The product tanked in part because it didn’t have enough features for most people to want it. But as augmented reality technology advances at a rapid clip, it seems like we’re closer than ever before to seeing another wave of smart glasses hit stores. And this time around, it’s not just Google that might be interested in selling you an AR headset—Apple may be working on its own version as well.
Apple is working on an augmented reality headset that could launch by 2020.
The 2020 launch is expected to be for a headset that has a dedicated processor, built-in display and cameras. It will also likely have an ARM-based processor and a battery built into it, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.
The device will be more advanced than Google Glasses or Samsung Gear VR headsets but won’t be as powerful as an iPhone or iPad Pro because it needs to run AR software instead of apps like Netflix or Spotify.
A report from Bloomberg claims that Apple has "at least 2,000 engineers" dedicated to the project.
Bloomberg reports that Apple has “at least 2,000 engineers” working on the project. That’s a lot of people! It’s also more than the company’s entire workforce in 1999, when it introduced the iMac and Mac OS X (which would later become macOS).
In addition to being big numbers, these facts tell us something else: Apple is serious about this product. It hired hundreds of new employees over the past year alone–and some of them were reportedly poached from rival companies like Amazon and Microsoft. In fact, Bloomberg says that one former Microsoft employee will be leading Apple’s AR/VR efforts once he joins up in April 2019.
Apple has already filed a host of patents related to AR hardware and software, including one for an AR headset.
Apple has already filed a host of patents related to AR hardware and software, including one for an AR headset. The patent was granted in November 2018 and describes the headset as “a head-mounted electronic device that includes a display system having at least one display lens.”
The patent also describes how it would work: “The electronic device may include one or more sensors for detecting physical objects in the user’s immediate vicinity, such as walls or other furniture,” it says. “Additionally or alternatively, the electronic device may include one or more cameras for capturing images of what is around them.”
In November 2018, it was reported that Apple had hired Michael Dobson, who worked on Microsoft's HoloLens team, among other things.
In November 2018, it was reported that Apple had hired Michael Dobson, who worked on Microsoft’s HoloLens team. Dobson also spent time at Magic Leap and Amazon, and he was a co-founder of an augmented reality startup called Vrvana.
Apple confirmed the hire but declined to say what projects he would be working on. However, he has experience with both consumer hardware and enterprise software development–a combination that makes him particularly well suited for Glasses-related work.
The first word of an Apple Glasses product appeared in May 2018, when a report claimed Apple had hired John Dudley, who previously worked at Oakley on sunglasses, as VP of operations for its wearables division.
The first word of an Apple Glasses product appeared in May 2018, when a report claimed Apple had hired John Dudley, who previously worked at Oakley on sunglasses, as VP of operations for its wearables division. Dudley’s hiring was followed by a string of similar hires from companies like Fitbit and Intel.
One thing we can say for sure is that Apple’s new hires come with considerable experience working on wearables–and they’re not just any old products: They’ve made everything from smartwatches to augmented reality glasses that look like traditional glasses (or “smart” ones).
Word about the project ramped up after the company was granted patents in late 2018 related to glasses designs that included cameras and computer chips.
Apple has filed a number of patents related to AR glasses, including one that describes an AR headset. The patent describes a device with cameras and computer chips embedded in the frame, as well as sensors used to detect movement and track eye movements.
The patent was granted by the US Patent Office on December 27th 2018 and first filed in 2017. It shows what appears to be a wraparound design similar in style to Microsoft’s Hololens or Magic Leap One (which is expected to launch in 2020).
There are plenty of rumors about Apple's plans for augmented reality glasses but not much concrete information yet
It’s hard to know what Apple is really up to. The company is notoriously secretive, and it doesn’t publicly share much information about its plans for future products. What we do know for sure is that Apple has filed patents for augmented reality glasses, but that doesn’t mean those products will ever become real.
Apple often files patents as a defensive measure against other companies who may be working on similar technology or features – so if they don’t have any intention of releasing an AR headset anytime soon, then why bother filing those patents? My guess would be that this was their way of keeping up with competitors like Microsoft and Google by showing off their innovations before anyone else could get there first (or at least trying).
It seems like Apple is serious about developing an augmented reality headset, but there’s still a lot we don’t know about the project. What kind of specs will it have? When will it launch? And most importantly: How much will it cost? We’ll be sure to keep you updated as more information becomes available!