The Apple Glasses at this stage are pretty much a sure-fire thing.
They have been slowly building out their AR and VR plans in the hands of every iPhone and iPad user for the last few years.
We already have Apple's AR Kit which is operating on billion-plus devices around the world, we've got the recent object capturing features that let us scan actual, real-world objects with our phones and turn them into virtual ones which we can share easily. Even down to the memojis that many people probably don't really make huge use of, but there's no denying that a lot of tech goes into how that whole expression capturing system is implemented.
There's the spatial audio that could allow for those memoji faces to be sat around a table, with everyone's voices coming from where they should be coming from as if it was real life.
Apple has got all of the fundamental base layers that they need to leapfrog the competition, Facebook and Meta included, with their own range of AR and VR products. We've already had the Facebook collaboration with Ray-Bans. Snapchat also had its own version.
But the Apple Glasses are set to be perhaps THE next revolutionary product from Apple. So in this post, we're going to cover off what we know so far, and the possible announcement date, release date, and pricing to expect.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Right-back in 2015 we've seen patents from Apple detailing what the potential Apple Glasses could look like and could do. In 2019 a leaked Internal meeting told us that there are 2 augmented reality devices in Apples Roadmap, but also some eagle-eyed developers have spotted some changes to the latest release of apples iOS operating system, with something codenamed, Starboard or starboard - though that will likely be renamed to something more Apple-esque like GlassOS when it comes about.
How will the glasses work exactly? Well, leaks from the infamous Jon Prosser say that the glasses will be called Apple Glass, and will be capable of displaying information on both lenses with a user controlling them via gestures both on and in front of the frames.
This then connects everything to a nearby iPhone, which would explain that potentially new code in the latest iOS 15 releases - and the glasses apparently won't have any traditional cameras built directly into them, but they will have a LiDAR scanner to power all of the AR experiences.
They're also developing technology to beam the images directly onto your retinas, which may or may not be dangerous, given that reports of 2 Apple workers suffered eye injuries.
They'll be made of plastic, won't be available in a sunglasses version, because the display technology doesn't work with tinted lenses, and that outsiders won't be able to see that the lenses are displaying.
Now, with all of that said, a leak from Mark Gurman at Bloomberg has also said that this information isn't fully accurate. That actually a VR Headset will come in 2022 and the glasses won't come out until at least 2023.
One patent has also pointed to glasses with adjustable opacity which may help on bright days or bring focus or attention to something in particular, but I'd love to see something really - really Apple here. Imagine, getting a pair of glasses from the world's most technically advanced company - one pair of glasses, the last pair of glasses you'd need to own. Imagine over the years, as your eyes adjust to those of you with prescription glasses, well, you don't need to buy new glasses.
Because these glasses could adapt to your needs, a focus wheel I guess where you can adjust them so you can keep perfect 20/20 vision at all times.
Perhaps that's jumping the gun here, but I'd love to see something like that from Apple - It's been a long time since we've really had the 'One More thing' moment that Steve Jobs used to be so famous for.
Also, another product that's rumoured to have been in the research and early development stages, the Apple Car.
What if the Apple Car had an augmented reality display? One that can bring up sat-nav directions. Or black out the screen on a sunny day to stop glare. Or if the car is self-driving, then you could use the whole screen for Netflix and chill whilst the car takes you there.
Now, this is most definitely probably a few years away, given the struggles that even Elon Musk has to get the full self-drive working - my Tesla still has a panic attack when it goes under a bridge sometimes so we're really not there yet. But just imagine if all of this technology is just a precursor to something so much bigger than just a pair of AR Glasses?
Apple is already setting the scene and has been for a number of years now. The fact you can now easily copy and paste text from within any image or photo that you've taken, and even live translate - well those features I would expect to see come to the glasses. imagine sitting down at a foreign restaurant, picking up a menu in a language that you don't understand, but with the glasses, be able to translate and read everything in your own native language without it skipping a beat and by using a connected iPhone to do all of the heavy liftings.
Apple is also working on a VR Headset which I haven't touched on yet in this post, but we're likely to see that before we see the AR glasses. All of this combined and with the very latest announcements from Apple of M1, M1 Pro, M2, or whatever comes down the road of ultra-high processing power with ultra lower demand for power, Apple could actually be doing a huge marvel come metaverse come avengers to us all when they decide to bring all of their latest innovations from different products together. All as one team of Avengers, blowing the Meta Oculus Quest as it stands out of the water and definitively crown Apple as champions of the VR space, AND put them way ahead of the competition in the AR Glasses space as well.
Just imagine a scaled-down M1 or M2 chip, that could fit inside a pair of glasses, it can do all the heavy lifting AND gives you a comfortable day of battery life - which seems to be how Apple always positions their products with 1 day of battery life.
We're definitely not there yet, but what if this whole thing has been leading up to this one moment, with technology continually developing in small increments year on year, much to the dismay of Android users and even some Apple users. Before it all comes together as one product.
Pricing-wise, the latest leaked information puts the Apple glasses at $499 US Dollars which would be around £410 UK Pounds, and given that the glasses would link to a connected iPhone device then that might help keep the price of the glasses down. Though reports also state that Apple may be considering a Steve Jobs edition of the glasses, much like the Apple Watch Edition which would allow them to charge a much higher price for the glasses. But I think we may see a higher price point when these come for launch. Perhaps the VR Headset will be $499 - but only time will tell.
Tim Cook himself has said that they have several products on the way which will just blow your mind - one of those I believe to be the combination of a new VR headset as well as the much anticipated AR in Apple Glass. One other that I also believe will be one of those mind-blowing announcements is the Apple Car, which the rumour mill is in full swing about with Apple hiring people left right, and center from every space you can imagine from AR, VR, Automotive, AI, and everything in between. Let me know in the comments below if you want a post about that one.
So that is everything we know currently about the Apple Glasses. If you liked this post then please do click the like button when you head over and subscribe to the channel. Next up go and watch my review on the new iPhone 13, see you soon!
