It looks like Apple is planning to release its augmented reality headset by 2022 and a pair of AR glasses the following year.
The company apparently briefed a large group of employees regarding its plans to release the devices. Apple is said to have been working on the hardware for a long time, and has used considerable resources working on augmented reality and virtual reality.
This also marks the first time that Apple has more publicly offered details as to when to expect the devices.
In a recent internal meeting, Apple Vice President Mike Rockwell is claimed by sources to have led a presentation with other Apple executives over the design and features of an AR headset. Rockwell is the chief of the team behind Apple’s AR and VR development.
The meeting was said to hav featured details about the design and features of the headset, with the initial headset launch being tipped for 2022, a pair of AR glasses arriving in 2023. The presentation was also said to have been made to a large number of employees, with those in attendance filling the 1,000-seat Steve Jobs theater. The meeting, which took place in October, still required a considerable amount of secrecy, with attendees required to wrap their iPhones with tamper-proof stickers with unique QR codes to block the cameras.
As well as discussing the features of the proposed hardware, the presentation also included videos and explanations relating to each, updates from other teams involved in the project, and a discussion of the “thermal architecture” of the headset by executives.
According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple is also said to be working with game distributor Valve Software on an augmented reality display for 2020, with existing supply chain assemblers Pegatron and Quanta Computer also linked to the project.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via AppleInsider and The Information