'Apple Glass' Rumored to Start at $499, Support Prescription Lenses, and More

[CJM]

Can't really see a use for it, except as a HUD for when you're out and about. Or as a means for content consumption but you'd want an opaque display for that.

Of course I'm willing to eat my words as always! I'm sure by revision 2 or 3 it will have found its place. Like most Apple products.

 

[UK-MacAddict]

It uses iPhone processing and GPS. I suspect there will be plenty of computational horsepower.
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It's a lot more than Google Glass, which pretty much just displayed information and photos.

There's a reason Apple released ARKit a couple years ago and has continued to update it, along with making huge investments in AR. Think about it. It's about AR.

Tethering to the phone just makes it more cumbersome. It will note my commands on the glasses send data back and forth from the phone which makes things slower.

Obviously it’s about AR. But for a product like this to be worth it I need to be able to put them on like normal glasses speak natural language and they respond within 1-2 seconds maximum. That AR data displayed needs to react and respond instantaneously in real time without delay when I turn my head and look around.

For instance I will say map me the shortest route to X as I drive and the response time should be a second, to bring up road data and if I turn to look at a road an instant overlay should appear for that route. Any longer than that and it becomes dangerous when driving or useless because I’ve passed that point.

I don’t see them having much more functionality than google glass to begin with.

 

[Techwatcher]

Aren't they copying Google Glass? Augmented glasses of six years ago.

Yep that's my point they're absolutely copying.

 

[Jury]

If the rumors are true, the AR Glass from Apple will be very flimsy and lack of camera and no onboard A12 SoC for being independent from the iPhone.

It is not going to be groundbreaking at all if that AR glass will start at $500 that can't be used without the iPhone.

 

[macduke]

I’m equal parts creeped out and intrigued by AR. It will be interesting to see how they pull it off and how far it pushes things. Hopefully I can pinch the stem to toggle the AR layer on/off so I can disconnect. That $500 price seems low. Will it be able to do much at that price?

Everyone complains Apple doesn't innovate anymore, and then when we finally hear about something that's new and innovative and people complain that it'll be a flop. it's Apple... they don't do flops, think about it...

LOL, not sure if serious or goofing about them not having flops. I’d say you probably haven’t been around long enough, but a more recent example is the HomePod has been a bit of a sales flop. I’ve never even met someone who owns one or has mentioned wanting to get one, unlike things like AirPods, etc. But also the sales have been poor and they’ve had to do a lot of price cuts, including permanent ones which is really rare for Apple unless they release a new variant.

 

[threesixty360]

For those of us that wear glasses anyway I can see it could have uses.
Navigation, quick notifications. AR could really help when travelling, seeing information about places while your there like a virtual tour guide. Live translation of languages could be a life saver for some people.

As always, it will work if it is unobtrusive and looks cool. Even if it has minimal functionality people will still get it because if its designed right it (not heavy etc..) it won't be any different to wearing regular glasses.

Just like how the watch is pretty much the same as wearing a regular watch just better, this can be the same.

I always wonder why every new product has to be of 100% value to everyone to be successful. Not even the first car was useful to everybody when it was first made. New products always start with a niche audience.

 

[monsharen1]

Glass + Airtags could be the killer feature. Getting on-screen markers for that thing you are looking for. I believe that could be a feature which will be hard to live without after getting used to it. That and battery level warnings hovering over your gear (phone, airpods, apple tv remote). I could easily see myself wearing these at home primarily. Even a simple thing as a timer when cooking could enhance life.

 

[TJ82]

A small step for technology, but one giant leap towards a total dystopian nightmare.

Complete and utter surveillance, everywhere and always, and we're even paying for it. Well done.

Really looking forward to my glasses making me watch 30 second ads, too.

You're off the mark I think.

Smart glasses might actually be what saves people from the real dystopian nightmare, which is definitely coming. Iris recognition street cameras which can spot you 10's of meters away.

Tried to find a link to the US university that's developed it already, but came up short. Will edit again if I find it.

Some crappy cameras on glasses doesn't change the landscape any further than existing street cameras, GPS, cellular triangulation, IP addresses etc alright do. Just another minor annoyance. At worst they'll capture a few extra seconds of you flashing a granny compared to someone doing it with their cellphone.

You're caught either way.

 

[citysnaps]

Tethering to the phone just makes it more cumbersome. It will note my commands on the glasses send data back and forth from the phone which makes things slower.

Obviously it’s about AR. But for a product like this to be worth it I need to be able to put them on like normal glasses speak natural language and they respond within 1-2 seconds maximum. That AR data displayed needs to react and respond instantaneously in real time without delay when I turn my head and look around.

For instance I will say map me the shortest route to X as I drive and the response time should be a second, to bring up road data and if I turn to look at a road an instant overlay should appear for that route. Any longer than that and it becomes dangerous when driving or useless because I’ve passed that point.

I don’t see them having much more functionality than google glass to begin with.

There's plenty of processing and communications bandwidth between a modern iPhone (and recent Ax processor) and a peripheral such as Apple's AR glasses; it will not be cumbersome.

Apple's ARKit has been available for three years and is now on its third release, with Apple and developers creating apps along the way, and with Apple investing $billions over the last 4-5 years. The three year old iPhone X with 3D depth-sensing camera is just one example of a critical piece of technology being rolled out to support Apple's R&D. In fact, during the keynote, Cook referred to the iPhone X as a technology demonstrator. Apple's release of the recent iPad Pro with LIDAR sensor is another critical piece.

Google Glass never went beyond displaying information and images, not going deep on the true potential.

With respect to functionality, try not to check your imagination and creative thinking at the door. There's plenty of information out there on how AR is being used today.
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Yep that's my point they're absolutely copying.

See above.

 

[Ramu ? Raisin]

I'm really excited to see what this can do. If you've seen those ARkit videos on youtube about portals you can step through then you'll see your imagination running on the possibilities. The glass might possibly be the next iphone.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

I couldn’t be less interested in putting generic technology from a major global corporation on my face.

I’m not interested in the watch either. I don’t need it, and despite their best efforts in promoting customisation with bands and stuff; they have no personality.

People say the watch is popular, and relative to the competition it is, but it’s by no means as widely adopted as smartphones. I hardly ever see people wearing one, and I live in a wealthy and diverse part of inner Sydney. It’s not like smart phones where literally everyone has one, with at least half being iPhones.

Apple does a good job of marketing to people with a high disposable income, many of whom need constant retail therapy and distractions from their work life. Even still, I see this being even less successful than the Apple Watch.

Do people really need and want to be constantly connected (physically) to technology? How hard is it to reach for a phone, tablet or laptop? At least you can put those devices away.

no, sorry you’re wrong. The Apple Watch is huge. Especially in the states where carriers subsidize it. I got 2 series 5s for half off, and I see them absolutely everywhere.
The watch actually helps people stay off the phone. On the watch, you get a notification, you respond, and that’s it. you can’t really do any web browsing on the watch, or scroll through Facebook or Twitter on the watch. So you end up spending less time on the Internet, and being more connected to the real world.
I feel like these glasses are going to be very similar. I don’t think they’re gonna be used for scrolling through Facebook or Twitter, or watching YouTube videos. I think they’re just gonna add little conveniences to your life, much like the watch does.
For example, if you’re walking somewhere, it could add little arrows to point you where to go, instead of you having to pull out your phone to read the directions.
Its AR, adding information to the real world.
Your phone is disconnected from the world, because it’s an actual object. you have to pull it out of your pocket, and then look directly at it for it to give you information.
These glasses will be adding information to things around you, instead of you having to stare at a screen to get that same information.

 

[simonmet]

no, sorry you’re wrong. The Apple Watch is huge. Especially in the states where carriers subsidize it. I got 2 series 5s for half off, and I see them absolutely everywhere.
The watch actually helps people stay off the phone. On the watch, you get a notification, you respond, and that’s it. you can’t really do any web browsing on the watch, or scroll through Facebook or Twitter on the watch. So you end up spending less time on the Internet, and being more connected to the real world.
I feel like these glasses are going to be very similar. I don’t think they’re gonna be used for scrolling through Facebook or Twitter, or watching YouTube videos. I think they’re just gonna add little conveniences to your life, much like the watch does.
For example, if you’re walking somewhere, it could add little arrows to point you where to go, instead of you having to pull out your phone to read the directions.
Its AR, adding information to the real world.
Your phone is disconnected from the world, because it’s an actual object. you have to pull it out of your pocket, and then look directly at it for it to give you information.
These glasses will be adding information to things around you, instead of you having to stare at a screen to get that same information.

Fair enough. But I don’t think Apple Watch is much more than an exercise accessory and corporate manager or tech geek plaything here, and the glasses don’t have the fitness market going for it. Apple is popular here (you see MacBooks and iPhones a lot), but people also like individuality and not being seen to be a corporate whore.

Ironically, you’re more likely to see fashion-conscious youths wearing quartz watches now. All the shops carry them. They have a retro appeal, probably because there was a generation that eschewed them so they’re now cool again. That or they seem novel and antiquated. I don’t know. At least there is a far greater variety and opportunity for individualism than what the Apple and other smart watches offer.

I’d be embarrassed to wear the glasses or Apple Watch in public outside the context of exercise, but that’s just me. It doesn’t fit with my identity or values. I consider the phone to be “separate” from me and not “strapped to me”. Like I said, it’s my anecdotal evidence that I hardly ever see them out in the wild unlike iPhones and MacBooks.

 

[roxics]

I don't know if it's just lack of imagination or people don't understand the concept of A.R. So let me paint you a picture.
Disclaimer: I'm not saying this is what Apple Glass will do, at least not for a while. But eventually I believe all A.R. systems will do this.

Your glasses are lying upside down on your bedside table, the front of the lenses show the time. Two numbers in each lens. 07 30. It's 7:30(AM) and the lenses start flashing and making a sound. You touch them and they snooze for another five minutes until they go off again. Finally you wake up, rub your eyes, put the glasses on and the alarm goes silent. You get out of bed. As you're walking you make a small gesture with your hand (two taps of your middle finger and your thumb) and a menu pops up with a list of all your applications, objects, notifications, settings, etc. You pop open the browser window you were using last night. It opens as a fifteen inch screen in front of you. Vertically aligned. Floating in front of you as a walk. Just to your lower right. Near your right hand. You scroll through the news to see what's going on and find a video you might want to watch as you walk in the living room. It starts playing in the browser window in the middle of the article. You pause it. You tap your fingers and pull your menu up again. Grab a TV object and throw it on your living room wall. Pinch to zoom it up to about eighty inches in size. Then you grab the video from your browser window and drag it to your TV object now on your living room wall. Unpause the video and plays. You walk away to the kitchen. The TV object stays on the wall in your living room playing the video as your browser window follows in front of you until you minimize it to your dock, in your menu.
You walk into the kitchen and start making some breakfast. You can easily hear the TV in the other room, because the speakers are on the stems of the glasses you're wearing. No one else sleeping in the house can hear it or see it. You grab what you're eating, walk back into the living room. Sit down on the couch, TV object in front of you playing the video. You pull your browser window back up, center it in front of you, maybe pull up some other apps to throw off to the side and cycle through them. Suddenly a tiny window pops up, someone is calling. You hit ignore. It's too early for that.

If we stopped here, I would be sold. Just replacing my laptop, TV and smartphone with an all-in-one portable device would be enough. But of course A.R. has to the potential to be so much more than that.

 

[kemal]

My prescription lenses, just the lenses, cost $600 before inshurance. Hope EyeMed will cover the Apple frames

 

[Darth Tulhu]

This rumor is legitimately exciting.

Apple has a great track record of implementing existing technologies in oblique yet familiar ways, where you end up saying: "why didn't they think of this before?"

I think the Apple Watch is a lesser example of this, but AR eyewear is a whole other category of ball game here.

This would also be Tim's first truly revolutionary product launch without Steve, if they nail it.

My imagination is going buck-wild with the possibilities. Can't wait to see it!

 

[Yuck9]

Everyone complains Apple doesn't innovate anymore, and then when we finally hear about something that's new and innovative and people complain that it'll be a flop. it's Apple... they don't do flops, think about it...

 don't flops huh ? Here is the list.

15 Biggest Apple Fails of All Time

The HomePod launch has been rough for Apple, but it's not the only time the company has stumbled. Here's a look back at some of the biggest missteps in Apple history.

www.tomsguide.com

 

[Darth Tulhu]

Fair enough. But I don’t think Apple Watch is much more than an exercise accessory and corporate manager or tech geek plaything here, and the glasses don’t have the fitness market going for it. Apple is popular here (you see MacBooks and iPhones a lot), but people also like individuality and not being seen to be a corporate whore.

Ironically, you’re more likely to see fashion-conscious youths wearing quartz watches now. All the shops carry them. They have a retro appeal, probably because there was a generation that eschewed them so they’re now cool again. That or they seem novel and antiquated. I don’t know. At least there is a far greater variety and opportunity for individualism than what the Apple and other smart watches offer.

I’d be embarrassed to wear the glasses or Apple Watch in public outside the context of exercise, but that’s just me. It doesn’t fit with my identity or values. I consider the phone to be “separate” from me and not “strapped to me”. Like I said, it’s my anecdotal evidence that I hardly ever see them out in the wild unlike iPhones and MacBooks.

I agree that the AppleWatch is a relatively unnecessary accessory.

It is convenient for many and brilliant is some aspects (like health), but make no mistake, Apple Glasses will change EVERYTHING if Apple delivers.

Imagine:
-NOT having to look over to your dashboard-mounted phone when driving, or even better, getting non-obstructive walking directions while in motion.

-Getting notifications for emails, text, or calls in your peripheral vision, and being able to respond or swipe them away with a hand gesture or a light head shake.

- Being on a train watching Netflix on your glasses, and it pauses and gets out of the field of vision the moment you stand up

-Having the device call 911 when detecting a life threatening sudden stop while device is registering your eyeballs are close to the glass

-Being able to see a new paint color on the walls, or how furniture fits in a room without having to hold a device in front of you and with greater realism.

-Imagine not needing a computer monitor at all when stationary (for light tasks, at least).

I could go on, but this is the FUTURE. IDK if all or ANY of the above can/will happen, but I'm genuinely curious to see where Apple goes with this.

 

[Marlon DLTH :)]

...and people said exactly the same thing about the iPod, iPhone, iPad, Watch, etc.

You really have no idea what Apple does do you.

Also the AirPods. Before them, most wireless headphones were inconvenient. People experiencing a bad connection and always dealing with Bluetooth issues. The AirPods weren´t the first wireless headphones, but they revolutionized the headphone industry. Truly wireless headphones. Easy, reliable, and fast connection. Low latency, very close to wired headphones. Seamlessly switch between devices. Great battery life.

 

[abrantes09]

I’m equal parts creeped out and intrigued by AR. It will be interesting to see how they pull it off and how far it pushes things. Hopefully I can pinch the stem to toggle the AR layer on/off so I can disconnect. That $500 price seems low. Will it be able to do much at that price?



LOL, not sure if serious or goofing about them not having flops. I’d say you probably haven’t been around long enough, but a more recent example is the HomePod has been a bit of a sales flop. I’ve never even met someone who owns one or has mentioned wanting to get one, unlike things like AirPods, etc. But also the sales have been poor and they’ve had to do a lot of price cuts, including permanent ones which is really rare for Apple unless they release a new variant.

I own two, congrats, you've met someone
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I guess you forgot google made some glasses before? Apple doesn’t innovate or take risk and spend billions on research and development anymore...they’re taking the safe route by seeing if those product can get popular then they’ll make some and give it to they’re loyalist...surface pen anyone? Type cover anyone? Surface tablet anyone? Galaxy watch anyone?

Sure, in a massive market its hard to innovate. The first foldable phone to the public was the Royale Flex Pie or whatever the hell it was called from a company nobody heard off. Its a huge market out there, its hard to be original.

You bring up google glass, an absolute failure... the tech wasn't ready.
Just like Apple had a touch compatible mac before the iPhone, some things were just never ready for market.
Im sure Apple has had advanced AR tech for years, but why risk a google glass when you can refine the technology and wait for the perfect time. With LiDAR and AR now poping up everywhere, Apple has hit the gold rush refining a product and its tech for years for the perfect time when it'll be most effective in the market, not a crapy piece bulky plastic with a camera and small glass square that looks like a kids toy.

 

[ouimetnick]

Apple dropped the "i" with the Apple Watch, its not coming back mate.

You mean Apple dropped the “i” when Jobs died. His last “i” product was iCloud. I think iWatch and iGlass would be the names of the products on Steve Jobs was still around.

 

[Puppuccino]

Oh the irony of posting a complaint on a rumour website...

Hah! Complaint? Really?

 

[V_Man]

I don't know if it's just lack of imagination or people don't understand the concept of A.R. So let me paint you a picture.
Disclaimer: I'm not saying this is what Apple Glass will do, at least not for a while. But eventually I believe all A.R. systems will do this.

Your glasses are lying upside down on your bedside table, the front of the lenses show the time. Two numbers in each lens. 07 30. It's 7:30(AM) and the lenses start flashing and making a sound. You touch them and they snooze for another five minutes until they go off again. Finally you wake up, rub your eyes, put the glasses on and the alarm goes silent. You get out of bed. As you're walking you make a small gesture with your hand (two taps of your middle finger and your thumb) and a menu pops up with a list of all your applications, objects, notifications, settings, etc. You pop open the browser window you were using last night. It opens as a fifteen inch screen in front of you. Vertically aligned. Floating in front of you as a walk. Just to your lower right. Near your right hand. You scroll through the news to see what's going on and find a video you might want to watch as you walk in the living room. It starts playing in the browser window in the middle of the article. You pause it. You tap your fingers and pull your menu up again. Grab a TV object and throw it on your living room wall. Pinch to zoom it up to about eighty inches in size. Then you grab the video from your browser window and drag it to your TV object now on your living room wall. Unpause the video and plays. You walk away to the kitchen. The TV object stays on the wall in your living room playing the video as your browser window follows in front of you until you minimize it to your dock, in your menu.
You walk into the kitchen and start making some breakfast. You can easily hear the TV in the other room, because the speakers are on the stems of the glasses you're wearing. No one else sleeping in the house can hear it or see it. You grab what you're eating, walk back into the living room. Sit down on the couch, TV object in front of you playing the video. You pull your browser window back up, center it in front of you, maybe pull up some other apps to throw off to the side and cycle through them. Suddenly a tiny window pops up, someone is calling. You hit ignore. It's too early for that.

If we stopped here, I would be sold. Just replacing my laptop, TV and smartphone with an all-in-one portable device would be enough. But of course A.R. has to the potential to be so much more than that.

I’ll pass. No thanks. Do t want or need to be online 24/7.
There is no way the first generation of these is going to be anything like that. It be more like the alarm clock and that’s probably it. Why would I want to touch my eyeglasses lens? Fingerprints and smudges?

 

[UK-MacAddict]

There's plenty of processing and communications bandwidth between a modern iPhone (and recent Ax processor) and a peripheral such as Apple's AR glasses; it will not be cumbersome.

Apple's ARKit has been available for three years and is now on its third release, with Apple and developers creating apps along the way, and with Apple investing $billions over the last 4-5 years. The three year old iPhone X with 3D depth-sensing camera is just one example of a critical piece of technology being rolled out to support Apple's R&D. In fact, during the keynote, Cook referred to the iPhone X as a technology demonstrator. Apple's release of the recent iPad Pro with LIDAR sensor is another critical piece.

Google Glass never went beyond displaying information and images, not going deep on the true potential.

With respect to functionality, try not to check your imagination and creative thinking at the door. There's plenty of information out there on how AR is being used today.
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See above.

The Apple Watch is still cumbersome to this day when connected to current iPhones running the latest processors. At least with the watch you have a screen to touch and interact with if an issue arises. The glasses will be purely voice and some basic touch controls similar to the AirPods.

If it doesn't respond to my command first time using natural language in less than 2 seconds its not going to be a worthwhile product. I don't want to have to repeat myself constantly like I have to currently using Google, Alexa and Siri. All three are still have issues understanding speech and are slow to react.

Very high probability that Siri will be the interface and its currently not up to standard for such a product. The will have to do some major improvements between now and then.

Im not saying there aren't lots of cool uses of AR already out there but none of them are at an acceptable level to make the experience enjoyable and natural extension of yourself.

 

[TVreporter]

Hah! Complaint? Really?

You said "It makes the real announcement kind of boring."

So why are you on a rumor website where you can get spoiled about the announcement?

 

[radiologyman]

Wearable displays for the masses are coming whether people like it or not. Just a matter of time until someone does it right and looks like Apple got the chops for it. Hopefully it's the beginning of a new era like original Iphone was, when Apple redefined what was possible and changed the way we interact with computers.