Apple Glasses Reportedly Progressing Towards Engineering Verification Stage With Focus on Battery Life and Weight

[MacRumors]

Taiwanese publication DigiTimes yesterday claimed that Apple is about to enter the "second phase" of development of augmented reality glasses, citing industry sources. Now, the full report has been shared with a few more details.

Following the second phase, the report claims that the glasses will go through a third phase of development a few months later. Upon completion of the prototype design, the wearable device is expected to go through a 6-9 month period for engineering verification. Apple is said to be focused on improving the device's weight and battery life, with Bloomberg's Mark Gurman having previously reported that the glasses will be lightweight.

Gurman claimed that Apple's glasses would overlay information such as text messages and maps in front of the wearer's eyes, and he also said that users will be able to control the glasses with Siri. His report said the glasses are unlikely to launch until 2023 at the earliest.

Apple has repeatedly referred to augmented reality as a "profound" technology. Apple is believed to be working on multiple AR/VR projects, including a headset with an App Store. In an internal meeting, Apple reportedly said the headset may be announced in 2021 and released in 2022, so it sounds like the headset will launch before the glasses.

Article Link: Apple Glasses Reportedly Progressing Towards Engineering Verification Stage With Focus on Battery Life and Weight

 

[12643]

This could kill the Apple Watch.

 

[incoherent_1]

I fully expect Apple to follow the Apple Watch plan here — start with an expensive product with limited but impressive functionality and rapidly iterate until it’s packed with features at a very accessible price point within 2-4 years.

 

[H00513R]

I'm waiting for these types of glasses to adjust bi-focal range for those of us getting older. Just think if you could increase power by just an option!

 

[jlocker]

Augmented reality and Virtual Reality are technology systems of our future. Using a augmented reality glasses to help you do things that you need help with in the everyday world. Need to know how to put oil in your car, augmented reality glasses with help you find the things under your hood and walk you threw the process. Manuals will be old fashion soon.

 

[phenste]

Oh—thought this was a second source confirming this, it’s just the full report from DigiTimes…a historically rather sketchy source ”Apple Glasses” (or uhh, maybe “Apple Glass?” just taking a bet on their typical ideas with naming) are an interesting concept to me but they’ll have to put some serious work in to make them consumer-viable.

Then again, this is what EVERYONE was saying about “Apple’s smartwatch plans” around 2013 or ’14, when our only reference point for ”smartwatches” was like, Fitbit and Garmin.

I’ve said it before, but, anyone else feel a particular excitement for the next 5-10 years of Apple now that Apple Silicon is out in the open? Have to imagine that’s gonna give them a huge advantage in developing this product.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

It’s 2021, Apple is already working hard!!! Bring it Apple.

 

[12643]

I wish they’d go back to their old naming scheme, just for this one so they can call it iGlasses.

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

This is sounding exciting.

There is (was?) a set of glasses for cyclists to see their bike computer screens projected in their field of view. Like a heads up display, soft of thing. I used to hear about them a lot, but haven't in a year or so. It sounded like a great idea, but they hadn't figured out how to use that tech for people that already wear glasses.

A great product would be prescription glasses that have technology in them to allow for that type of view, and would be agnostic enough to support a varied number of data/telemetry sources.

Imagine getting into your car, and having no gauges. Hopping on a bike and seeing the data of your ride and situational awareness of what's behind you. Working on something, and having support video overlaying your perspective to show what needs to be addressed. The possibilities are endless, and exciting.

 

[CodeSpyder]

I'm salivating...

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

I wish they’d go back to their old naming scheme, just for this one so they can call it iGlasses.

iSpecs?

iFrames?

 

[Mike_Trivisonno]

Apple should team up with Opticians to develop augmentation for prescription lenses for people who have visual impairments. I would love to get a pair of prescription glasses with Apple augmentation built in. The tech should be embedded into the lenses so people can still pick out whatever frames they want. Or, better yet, make me some new cybernetic eyeballs to replace the defective ones God bestowed upon me. lol.

 

[nattK]

This could kill the Apple Watch.

Don't think I'll be going to bed with or doing intense exercises with a pair of glasses anytime soon. Heck, imagine swimming with a pair of glasses

 

[Mike_Trivisonno]

You are Nexus. I do your eyes.

I'm salivating...

My eyes are watering.

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

Need to know how to put oil in your car, augmented reality glasses with help you find the things under your hood and walk you threw the process. Manuals will be old fashion soon.

People will switch to EVs before these augmented reality systems are here.

Cars without plugs are totally banned in some countries starting in 2025, and it doesn't matter - over 85% of vehicles sold in December 2020 in some countries had plugs.

 

[citysnaps]

Augmented reality and Virtual Reality are technology systems of our future. Using a augmented reality glasses to help you do things that you need help with in the everyday world. Need to know how to put oil in your car, augmented reality glasses with help you find the things under your hood and walk you threw the process. Manuals will be old fashion soon.

AR-assited thoracic surgery has my interest. Having access to YouTube info-videos and Wikipedia overlaid on subjects would be great.

Anybody out there looking for a new heart and lungs?

 

[yaxomoxay]

This could kill the Apple Watch.

I don't think that Apple glasses will do the same thing, esp. the measure of vitals.

 

[yaxomoxay]

Gurman claimed that Apple's glasses would overlay information such as text messages and maps in front of the wearer's eyes,

Will it work for people who already wear glasses?

 

[JosephAW]

Can’t wait for twice a day charging for new devices.

 

[az431]

This could kill the Apple Watch.

Yeah no.

 

[mnsportsgeek]

Will it work for people who already wear glasses?

Prosser said it will work with prescriptions.

 

[yaxomoxay]

Prosser said it will work with prescriptions.

I am truly curious, as I am truly curious to see if an interlocutor would see what the wearer is seeing. Hopefully we won't end up in a society in which you don't know if the other person is looking at you or watching some twerking on youtube.

 

[mazz0]

I think y’all need to manage your expectations in two regards.

1. Your mockup: there’s no way they’re going to be as thin and unbulky as that. They have to fit a battery in there to last all day!
2. General usefulness, for various reasons.
   1. If I have a UI being overlayed on the real world it needs to line up with the real perfectly and consistently all the time, or it’ll be annoying, and no existing AR tech I’ve seen comes close to that. They stutter fractionally quite often and now and then go totally wrong. And that’s just accurate local positioning of stuff we can see. When it comes to overlaying stuff based on Maps data, well that’s just a lost cause given how bad Apple’s POI data still is in many locations.​
   2. I am very sceptical that there will be sufficient usefulness to warrant wearing these, particularly for people like me who hate wearing glasses (I switched to contacts and then laser surgery because I find glasses so annoying). Obviously that’s subjective and depends a lot on how much you mind wearing glasses; and of course I can’t predict what the uses cases will be, but yeah - I’m very sceptical. Did anybody try out Google Glass, and if so can you tell us what the biggest use cases are?​

 

[NMBob]

I hope they test the AR on/off functionality so both screens turn off or on together, unlike the noise cancellation in the AirPods Max.

 

[ChrisMoBro]

This could kill the Apple Watch.

Not in terms of the AW's health features ie for workouts and heart rate tracking.