Apple Shifts 'Bug Wrangler' to AR Team to 'Bring Some Order' to AR Headset Development

[subjonas]

I'm still holding out hope that one day there will be AR built into vehicle windshields. That could pave the way for true heads-up operation including GPS turn-by-turn, etc.

I want this too but I have no idea how the AR layer on the windshield would match up to the world for multiple people inside the car with different perspectives. I guess they could make it for the driver only, but that would annoy me as a passenger, especially for other uses besides navigation.

2. This is confusing.

This is a description of a VR headset, not AR. They are not interchangeable technologies.

AR headsets can look just like VR headsets. The only necessary difference is that AR headsets require a camera on the outside. Implementing AR into see-through glass instead of displays is mainly just to make it consumer friendly.

 

[charlituna]

That concept is hideous.

i'm not keen on the white but I love the concept. especially if the lenses will darken to work as shades if you are walking around outside and using walking directions and translations.

 

[69Mustang]

AR headsets can look just like VR headsets. The only necessary difference is that AR headsets require a camera on the outside. Implementing AR into see-through glass instead of displays is mainly just to make it consumer friendly.

All things that I know. I also know that Apple wouldn't be introducing an AR headset that required a connected box and short-range WiGig connection. That's still just a fancier VR or Mixed Reality if you like. That ain't consumer facing tech.

 

[CrysisDeu]

Yeah cus there are only 12 people left in the team

"dozen people working on AR and VR software and hardware". Wow! It does sound like Apple indeed "disbanded the team working on an augmented reality glasses project"

 

[dogslobber]

Google glass? Really? There was nothing AR about it.

With respect to AR and its applications, it does take an open mind and a wee bit of imagination to set you free and conjure the possibilities.

I cite Google Glass as an example of consumers not wanting to wear any type of artificial restraint. Maybe I expect too much from people to make the comparison.

The point is nobody wants to wear goggles or glasses or any other constraining gizmo at all. That's why these all flop.

The other person who responded to my post, your point about business applications is a very small niche market for which Apple has zero interest. The market Apple want has to be high volume and high margins. Another reason for this to be a flop. Apple should stop wasting their money and increase shareholder dividends.

 

[Debauch]

They would ONLY do, Space Gray and/or Stainless Steel/Titanium/Aluminum finish in the beginning...

... and $20K gold “edition” for the first run.

 

[IIGS User]

I don't see these being a mainstream product for the foreseeable future. As often happens, I see the technology working itself into other viable products that see release.

it's almost research for researches sake. The people involved develop new concepts and ideas that take them in directions they otherwise would have never gone, resulting in a "eureka" moment.

So given the cash Apple has on hand, it's a viable investment even if it doesn't yield the originally intentioned result....

 

[citysnaps]

I cite Google Glass as an example of consumers not wanting to wear any type of artificial restraint. Maybe I expect too much from people to make the comparison.

The point is nobody wants to wear goggles or glasses or any other constraining gizmo at all. That's why these all flop.

The other person who responded to my post, your point about business applications is a very small niche market for which Apple has zero interest. The market Apple want has to be high volume and high margins. Another reason for this to be a flop. Apple should stop wasting their money and increase shareholder dividends.

Please... Write Apple a letter expressing your concerns about AR and Apple's markets. Your insight will be greatly appreciated, and will surely make the case they shouldn't be "wasting their money" on this.

"1,000 songs in your pocket?" Who asked for that?

"A phone with a glass keyboard?" What a flop that's going to be. People want mechanical keyboards.

 

[ThisBougieLife]

I think this is the only Apple product I'm truly not interested in (even the car could be cool, but this is just...I don't know. I guess I'll just have to say "it's the future" and wait for it to become mainstream like that implant phone on Futurama).

 

[mikethemartian]

Why on earth would anyone actually want to wear glasses? They don't feel good on your face and you're constantly taking them off to rub your nose.

So they don’t accidentally shoot their eye out with a Red Ryder BB gun?

 

[PastaPrimav]

AR Glasses are a worthwhile effort at this point, because Apple has already sunk untold amounts of money into AR research and development, without anything to show for it.

AR on iOS is still just barely a tech demo after several years, lofty promises and multiple SDK iterations.

And, it isn't even that ARKit is bad (well, it still is)...it's that holding an iPhone or iPad up and "looking through it" to your environment is bad, and nothing more than tech demo.

AR on glasses, windshields and windows is where the potential is. For Glasses it all comes down to making reasonable, wearing glasses (glasses, not goggles) that are also AR capable.

 

[subjonas]

All things that I know. I also know that Apple wouldn't be introducing an AR headset that required a connected box and short-range WiGig connection. That's still just a fancier VR or Mixed Reality if you like. That ain't consumer facing tech.

I was just responding to the comment to clarify that there is a lot of overlapping technology in AR and VR and the headsets can look very similar. Whether Apple would release such a headset is another matter, but I agree, they wouldn’t.

 

[Glockworkorange]

State-of-the-art AR glasses coming next year from any company, not just Apple, is laughable. I have no doubt they'll be the future, especially for the wearables category, but we're talking well into the next decade before they're as mainstream as say, smart watches and wireless headphones.

I mean, the next decade starts next year, so...

 

[tehStickMan]

Her track record speaks for itself. A couple bugs here and there don’t undo the domination of Apple over the last 10 years.

You kidding?

iOS 11 was already 2+ years behind the competition, and was the most bug-riddled piece of software in recent history.

iOS12 curbed ALL new features and assigned the entire man-hours of the dev-team onto bug fixing. Many basic GUI bugs remain, since iOS9.

iOS13 is more of the same - super duper basic catching up, and the headline feature is dark mode.

The last 3 macOS releases have also been super tiny incremental updates. T2 is plagued by issues for over a year and across THREE OS releases.

The software quality at Apple has been strongly declining for the last five years, so any article praising this persons track record out of context is laughable.

 

[Glockworkorange]

Or they are hoping that she can perform better in a more limited scope. Seems like a demotion to me. Maybe I misunderstood but from program management for everything with software to team member on the AVR team with 12 people. Hmmm.

Or maybe it’s not even true.

I bet people working at Apple read this stuff and our comments and laugh their **lls off.
[doublepost=1564628102][/doublepost]

AR Glasses are a worthwhile effort at this point, because Apple has already sunk untold amounts of money into AR research and development, without anything to show for it.

AR on iOS is still just barely a tech demo after several years, lofty promises and multiple SDK iterations.

And, it isn't even that ARKit is bad (well, it still is)...it's that holding an iPhone or iPad up and "looking through it" to your environment is bad, and nothing more than tech demo.

AR on glasses, windshields and windows is where the potential is. For Glasses it all comes down to making reasonable, wearing glasses (glasses, not goggles) that are also AR capable.

AR on iOS is trash. It was so hyped by Apple and others and it’s just not good.

The MacPro AR demo was decent. The AR Statue of Liberty was alright.

The rest of the AR apps? Trash. Come on PCalc—AR calculator? AR Carrot Weather.

Gimme a break,

 

[cgwright]

Information is embedded in the real world with mobile devices. Your laptop and phone analogy doesn't work in this case. That solved a particular problem around mobility. AR solves very little that isn't already solved today.

You can't see or don't appreciate the difference between using a mobile device to consume information vs. an internet-connected personal heads up display that overlays information and objects into your real world? When tech catches up to what we want to do with AR, it's impact on the world will be bigger than the impact smartphones had.

Imagine being a cop during a routine traffic stop. A quick glance at all of the individuals in the car triggers a query using their faces as inputs that returns and displays relevant information in real time, without the need to ask everyone for their id. The girl in the passengers seat came up as a missing person. The passenger in a backseat has a criminal history that includes murder, so an object appears over his head that indicates you should proceed with extreme caution. Another passenger has racy nudes on Twitter you can flip through.

Imagine being on a golf course with your buddies. You look up at the flag, you know it's distance, the current wind speed and direction, etc. The AR device suggests a club to use, all without fumbling with an app on your phone.

You're sitting in an airport waiting for your flight. You could pull out your iPad and watch a movie, or... you could initiate "Hologram Entertainment" with your AR device. You look around the room so it can create a model of your environment. Then all of the sudden, lifelike characters appear and put on a personal play, just for you. In the process, they interact with elements in your real world, sitting down in empty seats, walking (and disappearing) behind people, objects, etc.

The possibilities are endless. Use cases ranging the entire spectrum, from the general public to very specialized niche markets.

I haven't been this excited about another developing technology in a long time.

 

[69Mustang]

I was just responding to the comment to clarify that there is a lot of overlapping technology in AR and VR and the headsets can look very similar. Whether Apple would release such a headset is another matter, but I agree, they wouldn’t.

No harm, no foul.

 

[anthogag]

Apple needs the glasses. It could be another hot item like the AirPods and Watch.

The Glasses could be a large viewing screen for the iPhone. The iPhone the keyboard and the Glasses the screen...an AR enhanced screen.

iPhone users could wear digital clothing that's viewed with the Glasses.

Maybe you can see in the dark with the Glasses. If they have the time-of-flight camera you can map your immediate area.

 

[mattspace]

For people wanting a discreet Heads-up display for the real world, that's a scifi fantasy - it's not going to happen. Laws against non-obvious photography in public places will spring up instantly, and "no iCreeper" signs will become the hottest accessory for bars, cafes etc.

People get surgery on their eyes to avoid wearing glasses, and yet suddenly, everyone's going to rush to wear glasses that can ensure they never have an escape from their devices?

The only use for glasses heads up displays will be for IR marker-based systems, that allow the glasses to know where normal displays end, so that the glasses can project additional screens *around* a standard screen, so your Apple watch becomes a grid of 9 watch screens through the glasses, your laptop gets additional virtual screen real estate around its main display. But, you're not going to be able to take your glasses out onto the gold course to get weather, distance and club selection - if for no other reason than being able to determine that stuff yourself is part of the point of the game - clubs will ban it instantly.

Cops using it to identify people during a traffic stop? That's a laugh - police (worldwide) can't be trusted to switch their bodycams on, in case they want to murder someone for being "black or not-a-cop, with intent". As if they'd accept a recording system that actually looks where they're looking, or projects anything into their vision, to distract them from their evening's oppression. First time someone gets killed by an AR-enabled cop, the lawsuits claiming "visual obstruction and officer distraction" will be ruinous.

 

[Baymowe335]

You kidding?

iOS 11 was already 2+ years behind the competition, and was the most bug-riddled piece of software in recent history.

iOS12 curbed ALL new features and assigned the entire man-hours of the dev-team onto bug fixing. Many basic GUI bugs remain, since iOS9.

iOS13 is more of the same - super duper basic catching up, and the headline feature is dark mode.

The last 3 macOS releases have also been super tiny incremental updates. T2 is plagued by issues for over a year and across THREE OS releases.

The software quality at Apple has been strongly declining for the last five years, so any article praising this persons track record out of context is laughable.

iOS is so much better than Android, it isn’t close. It’s not me that thinks this...it’s the record users paying a premium to be on iOS.

 

[brinary001]

I'm hoping that, when you say "nobody" you're talking about average consumers, but Enterprise (at least in certain segments) has been buying in BIG time. It's even gotten to a point where so many companies are buying such large volumes of the Hololens 2 that individual orders have taken a backseat (talking to Microsoft, you can't even get a demo unless you're planning at least an order of 5000).

With Liveworx (the PTC AR and IoT conference) having wrapped up about a month ago, your estimate of 2-3 years is on par with what PTC is estimating. Starting around 2022 is when we should expect AR headsets to be available and affordable for mass consumption.

Yeah I know they've seen huge adoption rates across enterprise and the military and whatnot, I figured that was fairly common knowledge for people actively participating in a tech forum lol. Hence why I decided to forego mentioning it

 

[brinary001]

I mean, the next decade starts next year, so...

Haha true, but if you re-read my original comment I predicted that they wouldn't be available until "well into the next decade" which is obviously not limited to just next year

 

[BvizioN]

Why do these concept designers keep adding the Apple logo to these concept renders? Are they completely detached from reality? Apple does not need to add their logo to make wearables distinguishable from the crowd. Look at the AirPods as an example. Minimal! No logo! Even a 2-year-old child knows they are AirPods! Apple does know how to market stuff without slapping a logo on them.

 

[MacsRgr8]

Why on earth would anyone actually want to wear glasses? They don't feel good on your face and you're constantly taking them off to rub your nose.

That's (kinda) the point I've been making about AR Glasses a few times already.
The physical and / or fashion part of "wearables". It's not for everyone.

I have the same issue with my Apple Watch(es). I have stopped using them and got a Gamin Smartwatch now. I disliked the "mini-iPad" I had on my wrist, even though I tried to love it as, i this case, function was over form... i.e. I like the features of the AppleWatch.
Being at parties and where 75% wears a black square in their wrist which glows up every now and then, actually made me feel nerdy, especially if everyone's watch had a notification at the same time...

I wear prescription glasses nowadays. Getting AR built-in with my prescription would be awesome! I would jump to it in a shot!
But I do understand that making people wear glasses just for AR stuff, can meet some "style"-difficulties. Of course, nerds don't care, they want the tech on their noses.
Maybe making them kinda like Ray-ban sunglasses would help... but do you really want to wear them all the time?

AppleWatch + AppleGlasses + AirPods = "hey, Siri!"... "hey, nerd!"

 

[smulji]

You could do email and browse the web on a laptop perfectly fine, so why invent the iPhone?

It really doesn’t take a lot of imagination to see a future where a new version of the internet is overlaid on top of the real world, in real time. Where we connect with the real world rather than get lost in glass slabs. Where technology gets out of the way and augments your life, popping in with information and communication, rather than steal away your attention.

Just as Uber and Instagram couldn’t have been possible or even imagined without the iPhone, what applications are going to be invented for AR will only happen when there are millions of us walking around with AR glasses on our faces.

I can imagine a social media type network where your friends’ experiences would be shown to you as you walk the city. Walk by a restaurant and a little bubble can pop up showing your friend’s review, maybe a little video of a fun moment they had there.

An AR dating app might show you available singles around you who choose to broadcast themselves. You walk into a bar and you look at a cute girl with a heart over her head, read a little profile bio, slide through some photos, say you’re interested. Earlier, she has noticed you and also swipe you right. You’re a match. Oh yeah, let me go talk to her.

Information will be embedded in the real world with AR glasses.

"You could do email and browse the web on a laptop perfectly fine, so why invent the iPhone?"

What the iPhone (and smartphone) did was put the Internet in your pocket. IOW, you were connected all the time wherever you are. Because of that, it opened up a whole set of use cases that the laptop could not provide. All the scenarios you provided for AR glasses are things that one can do on their smartphone perfectly fine so long as a developer writes an app for it. Other than gaming or a heads-up display for vehicles, I'm not seeing a killer consumer app for AR glasses. As MS has demonstrated with HoloLens, there are more useful enterprise use cases for AR, at least so far, than there are consumer use cases.