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Development on Augmented Reality 'Apple Glasses' Postponed Indefinitely

This is the last paragraph in John Gruber’s blog post on this story.

Anyway. Something is definitely coming from Apple from this team this year, and I get the sense the company thinks it’s going to be something special. If true, that means it will likely also not be what most people outside the company are expecting. Outsiders inevitably base expectations on the current state of the art. But the iPhone was not an iPod phone. Apple Watch was not a Fitbit with a higher price. If Apple is still Apple, this first headset should be much more than a slightly nicer version of VR headsets as we know them.
daringfireball.net

If a Tree That Was Never Announced Falls in a Forest Does It Make a Sound?

If Apple is still Apple, this first headset should be much more than a slightly nicer version of VR headsets as we know them.
daringfireball.net daringfireball.net
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I’m not sure where Gruber is getting the confidence this will be something special solely because Apple is choosing to announce it. I love my Apple Watch and wear it every day but when it was first announced it wasn’t this product that blew people away. In fact there was lots of criticism of the product, some of it that the product wasn’t focused enough and was trying to be an iPhone on your wrist. Let’s not forget back in 2013 Samsung was the darling of the press/Wall Street and Apple was doomed because it didn’t sell a big phone. Heck there were rumors the board was looking to replace Tim Cook. One could argue the Apple Watch was announced before it was ready for prime time because the company was feeling pressure to do something, to show it could still put out innovative products.

If Apple announces a MR headset this year then the company obviously believes it has a minimum viable product it can show off/ship. But it could also be the fact that 2014 was the last major new product announcement/category from Apple and the company is feeling pressure again to announce something new.
 
anshuvorty said:
All I will say is that all of these "moonshot" projects have now failed, at least in our lifetimes, sad times:
  • self-driving cars
  • Google's much-hyped contact lenses for AR use
  • AR glasses
  • Google's Project Loon - remember that?
  • Facebook's all-access internet
  • Apple's Car project
These tech companies are slowly coming to the conclusion that there are mortal, just like everyone else, no matter how much your market cap is.
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These projects also require highly-skilled engineers and wont materialize using marketers or the go to source of labor for Silicon Valley, aka people from developing countries, employed via h1b contracts.
 
Rogifan said:
If Apple announces a MR headset this year then the company obviously believes it has a minimum viable product it can show off/ship. But it could also be the fact that 2014 was the last major new product announcement/category from Apple and the company is feeling pressure again to announce something new.
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I doubt they feel any pressure to release a product when it’s not ready. They’re always holding off products.

A lot of their innovations are not focused on new categories. H1/2 chip, AirTags, HomePod/mini, M series chips. Embedded functions within iPhone, iPad etc.
 
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I had to stop reading the comments because I feel like no one actually read the article. This article says that they’ve paused the AR glasses development, not cancelled it. It sounds like they are recognizing the technical hurdles are still substantial and taking a more all-hands-on-deck on producing a lower cost VR headset for gen 2, which should be good news for all of you who keep whining about the cost.

They can always go back to focus on the glasses after the headset is more fully on track in 2-3 years. So maybe that becomes more of 2026-27 item, big deal.
 
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I would love if Apple could include a camera that could record video with a voice command. So many times I missed the moment in the time it took me to pull out my phone, open app, and hit record. Personally, I could care less about VR glasses. I want something that enhances my life when I am out and about such as weather radars, possibly deals and sales as I go past a restaurant or have a message notification on the HUD.
 
Pezimak said:
Because the tech isn’t ready and people don‘t want to wear smart glasses or goggles. Or have to buy an Apple or Google product and then have prescription lenses fitted, it’ll severely limit your choice of glasses frames and pricing.

However at least Google tried, even if it failed they still did it. This report is claiming Apple is just giving up early.

IMO AR headsets will remain nothing more then a pipe dream.
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True, but people should define what 'tech is ready' means first. What does it look like when it is ready and does every facet of it really work? Does physics allow high fidelity AR imagery in a smart glass? Is it truly usable without annoying users? Is it bug free enough to be reliable? Will battery last long enough if not where will a big enough battery be worn? Is the maintenance cost too high for most people? etc etc etc
 
This makes more sense than their mixed reality ski goggles thing. Google glass never caught on bc it was way too expensive, at least on the consumer side. From what I understand they still manufacture them for the corporate side.
 
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I think the biggest tech puzzle to be missing from eyewear AR is likely a good enough/low enough latency - wireless connection to a processiong unit. Aka, your iPhone. Possibly battery too?

Apple would never release a wired unit, which would likely work just fine. If I am not mistaken there are already versions of these out or atleast they have been shown in tech demos.


I am sure it isn’t an implementation problem, but likely a bandwave pollution issue. Short range wireless with extreme data rates isn’t here from I have heard. Bluetooth is long in the tooth and seemingly slow to advance.. Even for proper lossless audio.

In conclusion, short range high bandwidth wireless standard is stuck in regulatory beurocracy…. Apple will not release these until that is sorted.


Apple has publicly said as much in the context of bluetooth lossless audio in their headphones. AR/VR is def in the same boat.


A
 
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I guess they must be waiting for Samsung or someone else to do it first so that they can refine it and claim that they may be late but they do it better. Lol!
 
enterthemerdaverse said:
He has a valid point. Overhyped projects hurt people who invest in them, not only financially losing money buying hype stocks and discontinued/faulty products, but also psychologically. People get excited, they 💩post all over the web about some upcoming science fiction becoming real life and then they get let down and realize they wasted their time and energy.
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Anyone else remember the M400 Skycar prototype? I had to look up "flying car from 1990s" to remember what it was, and I found this 2022 Fast Company article saying that its inventor, Paul Moller, is still at it:

Paul Moller's 50-year dream to build a flying car won't die

I was fascinated by the M400 at the time. Michael Jackson put down money to own the first one when it went into commercial production, originally supposedly before the year 2000. The story says that Moller, at his peak, was worth $500 million. The SEC sued him for alleged fraud, investors pulled out, he declared bankruptcy, and technology moved on. Ever the optimist, he still believes that he'll be the first to bring a personal commuter flying car to market.
 
MacRumors said:


Apple has paused development on the augmented reality Apple Glasses that it planned to introduce after its mixed reality headset, reports Bloomberg. Work on the product has been postponed because of technical difficulties.

Apple-Glasses-Triad-Feature.jpg

Rumors suggested that Apple wanted to develop a pair of lightweight augmented reality glasses that would be similar to the Google Glass smart glasses. The glasses would provide digital information overlaid on the real world rather than offering immersive virtual experiences like the AR/VR headset, but Apple has not been able to develop the necessary hardware to produce a lightweight wearable that has the power of an iPhone and enough battery life to run it.

Apple initially wanted to release the Apple Glasses in 2023 before delaying the project to 2025, but now the product's launch has been postponed "indefinitely." Apple has also scaled back work on the device, so Apple Glasses will not be launching in the foreseeable future, but Bloomberg says that Apple considers AR glasses to be a product that could one day replace the iPhone.

According to Bloomberg, some Apple employees do not believe that Apple will ever ship AR glasses. Most of Apple's AR/VR group is working on the mixed reality headsets that Apple is planning to produce, but there are still some that are exploring technology for future AR glasses.

Rather than developing augmented reality glasses, Apple is now focused on creating a more affordable mixed reality headset that will appeal to a wider range of consumers. The first AR/VR headset that is set to launch this year will cost somewhere around $3,000, so Apple wants to provide similar capabilities at a cheaper price point in the future.

Details on all of the features included in the first mixed reality headset can be found in our AR/VR roundup.

Article Link: Development on Augmented Reality 'Apple Glasses' Postponed Indefinitely
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This announcement should pacify the proletariat who have been bemoaning the $3K price tag of the Mixed reality headset. A watered down version to soothe their hurt feelings! Those who are motivated should get 2nd part time jobs and save up for the $3K model. Stand Tall. $$$ Matters!!! Laughs!
 
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AR/VR goggles will flop. Prevents social interaction, awkward. So after a few wow's by reviewers AR/VR googles wont be purchased by many. Apple glasses will eventually be a much bigger product. And so much more useful. The biggest issue with apple glass is that it could have a quasi hidden camera that could take photos and videos. This will create all types of privacy issues. Why doesnt apple focus on developing an early version apple glasses without a camera so no recording (or maybe just no videos)? Focus on adding information about your environment onto the glasses. That you can talk to. Maps, object recognition, language decoding, so much potential. The apple watch doesnt do everything and apple glasses dont have to either. But could still be very cool and useful.
 
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riverfreak said:
is there a reason you’re using a diminutive of Tim’s name? Is it because your argument has no merit? Or do you know Tim personally?
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Yikes! My apologies, I didn't know what the protocol around addressing Mr Crook was. Rest assured I will continue to call him many different variations of his name to aid my "baseless" claims.
 
giggles said:
1) VR headsets are not meant to be used while strolling down the street, more like at your desk or on the couch or in your living room or in your bed. AR glasses are meant to be used around, and those could be made to look cool.

2) I’m old enough to remember when even having your face constantly sinking into a smartphone like a monk reading his morning prayers would look weird and uncool, and yet 20 years later here we are.
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1) VR headsets still have to be demo’ed in stores, pictured in marketing materials, shown on iJustine’s head, etc. The message “sure, you look ridiculous, but you’ll be using these plopped on your couch wearing only underwear and Cheeto dust anyway, right?” is a little too… honest for marketing. Precisely why I argued that some form of glasses, even if implementing only a slim subset of AR functionality, is overwhelmingly more likely to be an Apple product than a VR headset with an AR-simulating passthrough mode.

2) Good point, and probably a large part of why Watch and AirPods marketing present these products as ways to stare at your phone a little less. Actually, are there any battery-powered Apple products that have had marketing centered on stationary use? The intro video (and apparently the solitary ad made) for AirPods Max is the only exception that comes to mind right now.
 
Col4bin said:
Maybe Tim doesn’t have the balls or charisma to go after Apple Glasses with a fervor that set Steve apart. Apple’s future is tomorrow, not what they’ve already been milking for years.
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The fact that you’re relying on charisma and machismo to determine a persons worth is not something that the future accepts as a reasonable stance. Apple are in a much stronger position now than when Steve Jobs was in charge. Tim Cook haters… meh.
 
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This is sad. Google Glass was one of the greatest beta products I've ever owned. I miss having a heads up display like that. Unfortunately, it was ahead of its time. And of course creepy people had to ruin it for everyone else.
 
But Tim Cook said it'd be as necessary as the iPhone and we'll wonder how we ever lived without it. I guess we are just fine without it then?
 
hiramham said:
AR/VR goggles will flop. Prevents social interaction, awkward. So after a few wow's by reviewers AR/VR googles wont be purchased by many. Apple glasses will eventually be a much bigger product. And so much more useful. The biggest issue with apple glass is that it could have a quasi hidden camera that could take photos and videos. This will create all types of privacy issues. Why doesnt apple focus on developing an early version apple glasses without a camera so no recording (or maybe just no videos)? Focus on adding information about your environment onto the glasses. That you can talk to. Maps, object recognition, language decoding, so much potential. The apple watch doesnt do everything and apple glasses dont have to either. But could still be very cool and useful.
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AV/VR goggles will flop because they prevent social interaction? And smartphones don't?
 
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