It ’s anopen secretthat Apple is working on some kind of augmented reality or virtual world headset . Some , have been so bluff as to predictsleek Steve Jobs - vogue smart glassesas presently as summertime 2021 . But nowBloombergis report that before we get chic eyeglasses , Apple is attempting a niche VR headset that will in all likelihood be a metric crapton .
The word comes via Bloomberg ’s Mark Gurman , an Apple soothsayer with a dependable caterpillar tread record . Citing unnamed sources , Gurman fight that the headset has “ present several exploitation hurdle ” and a more challenging AR machine will take a while to develop due to technological and logistic challenges .
This initial headset will probably be a “ mostly practical ” contraption , with an “ all - embrace 3D digital surroundings ” mean for games , videos , and Old World chat . It ’s stand for to compete against Oculus , Playstation VR , and HTC Vive . AR capabilities , however , will be limited . We might see this headset as early as 2022 , but the price will be much , much , much more expensive than any rival headsets . So expensive , that Gurman ’s sources believe that Apple might only trade one headset a daytime at each of its retail stores .
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https://gizmodo.com/the-future-of-the-face-computer-1840153270
Why so expensive when a very good Oculus Quest 2 starts at just $ 300 ? Well , firstly , it ’s Apple . Second , it would look that Apple design on stuffing the headset — which is presently in a late prototype stage — with beefier chips than are currently available in existing VR headset . Some of the chips supposedly vex out Apple’simpressive M1 chipin carrying into action . The headset also on the face of it removes some of the inner space normally reserved to reconcile substance abuser with spectacles . To make up for it , the system will supposedly permit for prescription lens to be inserted into the headset over the VR projection screen itself . The equipment is also meant to be standalone , mean no telegram or the motivation to plug into another equipment ( e.g. , how PlayStation VR plugs into a PlayStation console table ) .
So far this voice resonant of theOculus Quest 2 , though the Bloomberg report card notes Apple ’s interpretation will also include extraneous tv camera for limited AR features . It ’s not exonerated exactly what those capabilities will be , but presumptively the camera will do more than the Quest 2 ’s , which are primarily for manus tracking and spatial awareness .
last , this thing will likely be so dang expensive because Apple might not actually care about sell a ton of them . or else of compete for a commercial-grade hitting , Bloomberg suggests that Apple ’s goal is to select developer and consumers for an eventual pair of smart glasses , which Bloomberg ’s sources say are still in an early “ computer architecture ” microscope stage . As in , Apple has n’t yet figured out some of the tech to make it a viable product . If honest , we probably wo n’t be fancy Apple saucy methamphetamine hydrochloride this class , next year , or possibly even the year after that .
premature report card have speculated that Apple smart glassesmight arrive as early as 2023 — but again this was in the pre - pandemic era . On top oflogistical supply chain delaysfor the iPhone 12 , Bloomberg reports lockdowns have also hampered progress in develop AR hardware , as Apple engineers are only capable to work from the office on designated days . Those holdup also stretch out to user testing and datum collection .
This is all a bunch of ifs . AR and VR are still very much nascent engineering that will have toclear several hurdlesbefore they can be as mainstream as a smartphone . Especially in the case of AR . Not only do you have to account for thing like ambient Inner Light wrecking an AR overlay ’s visibility , but you also have to get components that are small and powerful . Battery life and consistent wireless local area connection or cellular connectivity are immense obstacles that even the most advanced impertinent glasses we ’ve seen so far have yet to figure out in an refined way . This is n’t even considering superfluous hurdle race like ethical drug Lens — which might then involve regulative inadvertence because technically , glasses are a medical machine — or broader concerns such as style and societal concerns about privacy .
Then on top of all that , there ’s the content job . Right now , there are n’t lot of applications for bulky VR headsets outside of gaming — though if you allow a tech bro lecture long enough , they ’ll blather on about virtual concerts , workspaces , and video calls . There might be more obvious exercise cases for AR , but again , technical problems have to be addressed first .
None of these challenges has really stopped Big Tech from handle forrad with consumer smart shabu . That said , these first endeavor are more audio - base than optical . Facebook’steamed up with Ray - Banbut its first pair of “ smart glasses”won’t include AR . Amazon ’s Echo Frames also stuff Alexa into a brace of looking glass , but again , no AR . Likewise , Boseshut down its AR divisionlast class and have since refocused their connected shabu to be more open - ear audio headphones . Focals by North were a compelling pair of consumer AR glasses , but alas , Googlebought the company and killed its glasseslast class .
There is a theme here . If and when we do finally see whatever Apple ’s been tinkering on all these geezerhood , it ’ll have to clear a in force number of these issuing , provide a compelling use case for the fair consumer , and differentiate itself from the competition . That ’s a magniloquent order , even for Apple .
AppleAugmented realityiPhoneMixed realityTechnologyVirtual realityWearable devices
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