Apple's AR glasses arriving in 2020, iPhone will do most of the work
Apple's long-rumored augmented reality headset could arrive mid-way through 2020 prominent analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes, with the initial round of manufacturing for the fabled head-mounted display speculated to commence as early as the end of 2019.
ARKit used at Apple Park
The iPhone producer's work in the field of augmented reality has led to many reports over the years claiming a headset or smart glasses that take advantage of the technology is in development. According to a note to investors from Ming-Chi Kuo, it may arrive sooner than people think.
In the note, Kuo believes the mass production of an Apple AR product may start in the fourth quarter of 2019, though it is suggested this window stretches into the second quarter of 2020. It is unknown when the device will launch, but the timing of manufacturing certainly suggests sometime during 2020.
The timeline for its release, according to Kuo, is somewhat optimistic and relatively near term. In May 2018, Loup Ventures' Gene Munster suggested Apple won't bring out an AR wearable device until late 2021, a revision of earlier speculation that tipped a September 2020 launch.
Kuo claims the first generation of Apple's AR glasses will only act as a display, with a nearby iPhone performing all of the processing, including rendering scenes, providing a data connection, and location-based services like GPS. It is unclear if the accessory would be connected by a cable or take the wireless route and use Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or another similar technology for close-range communications.
The described hardware, with processing offloaded to an iPhone held separately, could potentially result in an extremely light headset, at least in comparison to current-generation VR headsets and versions that slot an iPhone or another smartphone into a frame for use as a display.
As it already is used to power ARKit experiences, an iPhone is more than capable of performing processing for a connected headset, but the system does raise questions about how the connection with the host mobile device will function, as well as power concerns for both the headset and the iPhone.
One earlier rumor for the headset suggested it would use 60-gigahertz WiGig to make a connection with a host without cables. The connection would certainly provide the throughput required for video and other data needed for AR glasses to function, but it would limit the device to working either with a future iPhone model with WiGig support built in or some form of adapter would be required for use with older iPhone models.
The same rumor also speculated the use of extremely high resolution eyepieces, offering an 8K resolution for each eye. Not only is this beyond current Apple hardware, but also far exceeds the resolution of existing AR and VR headsets, such as the Vive Pro's 1,440-by-1,600 pixels per eye.
The high resolution seems doubtful at this stage, as it would not only put pressure on the data connection with the iPhone, but the increased graphical requirements would mandate a considerable processing upgrade for the iPhone.
ARKit used at Apple Park
The iPhone producer's work in the field of augmented reality has led to many reports over the years claiming a headset or smart glasses that take advantage of the technology is in development. According to a note to investors from Ming-Chi Kuo, it may arrive sooner than people think.
In the note, Kuo believes the mass production of an Apple AR product may start in the fourth quarter of 2019, though it is suggested this window stretches into the second quarter of 2020. It is unknown when the device will launch, but the timing of manufacturing certainly suggests sometime during 2020.
The timeline for its release, according to Kuo, is somewhat optimistic and relatively near term. In May 2018, Loup Ventures' Gene Munster suggested Apple won't bring out an AR wearable device until late 2021, a revision of earlier speculation that tipped a September 2020 launch.
Kuo claims the first generation of Apple's AR glasses will only act as a display, with a nearby iPhone performing all of the processing, including rendering scenes, providing a data connection, and location-based services like GPS. It is unclear if the accessory would be connected by a cable or take the wireless route and use Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or another similar technology for close-range communications.
The described hardware, with processing offloaded to an iPhone held separately, could potentially result in an extremely light headset, at least in comparison to current-generation VR headsets and versions that slot an iPhone or another smartphone into a frame for use as a display.
As it already is used to power ARKit experiences, an iPhone is more than capable of performing processing for a connected headset, but the system does raise questions about how the connection with the host mobile device will function, as well as power concerns for both the headset and the iPhone.
One earlier rumor for the headset suggested it would use 60-gigahertz WiGig to make a connection with a host without cables. The connection would certainly provide the throughput required for video and other data needed for AR glasses to function, but it would limit the device to working either with a future iPhone model with WiGig support built in or some form of adapter would be required for use with older iPhone models.
The same rumor also speculated the use of extremely high resolution eyepieces, offering an 8K resolution for each eye. Not only is this beyond current Apple hardware, but also far exceeds the resolution of existing AR and VR headsets, such as the Vive Pro's 1,440-by-1,600 pixels per eye.
The high resolution seems doubtful at this stage, as it would not only put pressure on the data connection with the iPhone, but the increased graphical requirements would mandate a considerable processing upgrade for the iPhone.
Comments
https://www.wareable.com/ar/the-best-smartglasses-google-glass-and-the-rest
If you're not talking about GG then a link to what you are talking about would be appreciated.
It's coming.
And if ( a big IF ) the AR Goggles has a sensor to scan in hands to interact with the 3D AR objects, then this is what Apple should have released in the very first place! Apple's idea of using an iOS device to hold up for AR use is asinine and I have never, I mean, NEVER seen anyone locally hold up an iPhone or iPad just for that. The only exception would be the Ingress game in my experience which is AR, a bit older than Pokemon Go and doesn't require holding up a phone in front of an object or location. Another concern I have is that the AR Goggles will most likely need to be recharged which makes it the 5th device with a rechargeable battery ( iPhone, iPad, Watch, AirPods and now this one ) running on Bluetooth.
As a digital artist myself, I would rather use VR Tilt Brush on Vive or Oculus for 3D project work to experiment with. That sector is growing already with professional artists and designers using VR for this reason. I don't think the base iMac is powerful enough to handle it let alone a PC with Nvidia, nor would anyone want to wait for Apple to catch up on that via the desktop front.
I suspect the AR Goggles will probably go for close to $300-400 alone when and IF they release it in 2020, depending on the market situation.
Goro Fujita, one of the big name illustrators and Art Directors in the field, is already using it for his work using the Quill app.
Check this out: https://www.patreon.com/goro
I highly doubt the AR Goggles or iOS device combined is going to be able to process something like this. More likely, the AR Goggles are going to be used for simple apps/games and function that are already on the App Store to transition to. Even with hand detection, that would probably take up more battery juice if the Goggles require recharging which will be a pain in the neck. That thing better have hand detection or interacting with a 3D object with your hands will be a moot point and massive fail. Using a 2D plane like iPhone's screen to interact with a 3D environment/polygons is ridiculous. It's one reason why I have never, EVER seen anyone locally in my area do that for this reason.
Microsoft is right about the AR/VR or Mixed Reality as the next computing OS paradigm. They have the right idea regarding HoloLens even though it's expensive, it's a good start towards that direction.