Apple has long been rumored to be working on its own version of a pair of augmented reality glasses though it seems things to be really taking concrete shape this time. According to reports coming in courtesy of Jon Prosser, the augmented reality glass from Apple will simply be named as Apple Glass.
Prosser further opined the Apple Glass is going to be priced around $499, which however will apply only to the frames. For those on lenses, they will have to shell out more depending on their specific requirement of lenses.
There also are rumors of Apple considering developing a special edition of the Apple Glass that would be named after Steve Jobs. The glass would simply be named Steve Jobs Glasses and would mimic the style of glasses worn by the iconic co-founder of Apple – the Lunor Ideal i 380 – and will comprise of the circular rimless frame and thin arms.
However, that again may not be feasible as the thin arms may not have the space needed to hold the electronic and optical paraphernalia that is required for the AR glass to function. That is unless Apple decides to adopt a different styled arm, one that is of the right size to enable fitment of the electronics needed for the glass to function to the optimum.
Meanwhile, there isn’t a whole lot of information available on the Apple Glass at the moment, except that it will have a LiDAR sensor of the same type as that on the iPad Pro. This will allow for accurate depth measurement, something that is crucial for AR to be realistic and efficient. However, the glass may not be able to function on its own and might require pairing with the iPhone to let the latter perform the heavy processing tasks.
As for the likely launch window, Prosser opined the AR glasses might be launched along with the iPhone 12 itself. However, the launch might get pushed back to the spring of 2021 if the Covid 19 pandemic does not allow the company to hold a media event that commensurates a product as important as AR glasses in Apple’s product line-up. In any case, shifting of the launch window should hardly matter as the Apple Glass itself isn’t expected to launch before end 2021 or early 2022.
