Apple may 'own the future' of personal computing with Apple Glass, says Gene Munster

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Loup Ventures analyst Gene Munster thinks Apple's "design advantage" could help drive the success of its rumored augmented reality glasses.

Loup Ventures analyst Gene Munster believes Apple is well-positioned to take advantage of the continued rise of wearables.
Loup Ventures analyst Gene Munster believes Apple is well-positioned to take advantage of the continued rise of wearables.


On Tuesday, leaker Jon Prosser shared many details about the so-called "Apple Glass" device, but its overall design and form factor are still not clear.

In a research note published Friday, Munster said that "design will be central" to Apple's success in the AR glasses market -- and added that Apple is well-positioned to make that work.

"Apple's track record with wearables, dating back to the EarPods, gives us confidence that Apple will lead the way in the augmented reality glasses category as it emerges over the next few years," Munster wrote.

He gave the example of Apple's classic EarPods, originally packaged with iPods and eventually iPhones. As he points out, EarPods became a "fashion symbol" due to their design and the fact that they were created to stand out. That's a legacy AirPods still carry on today, he noted.

As evidence of Apple's wearables design success, Munster cites the company's recent report that its Wearables business -- which includes AirPods, Apple Watch and other accessories -- was now the size of a Fortune 140 company.

"Across its entire product ecosystem, including hardware and software, Apple has monetized its design advantage to achieve scale quickly," Munster wrote.

Apple Watch, for example, grew to a $5 billion money maker in less than three quarters, and eventually led Apple to become the largest watchmaker in the world.






Munster expects wearables to grow in importance, and become the "dominant mode for our digital interactions." He added that Apple is situated to take advantage of that.

"Apple is well-positioned to own the future of personal computing," the analyst concluded.

The so-called "Apple Glass" will retail for $499 and rely on an iPhone for its connectivity, Prosser said earlier in the week. Originally slated for a launch this year, "Apple Glass" may now be announced in early 2021 for a launch in 2021 or 2022.
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Comments

  • Reply 2 of 21
    slurpyslurpy Posts: 5,382member
    The reality is that Apple is the ONLY company with a chance in hell to make a device like this even mildly popular. A face thing is so much more complicated and has more social stigma than anything in the pocket, wrist, etc. Apple needs to make a strong enough argument through features, usability, and design, in order to convince people that they want this. That's a tall order, but  I think Apple is capable of that. 
    edited May 2020 cornchiptrashman69raoulduke42watto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 21
    avon b7avon b7 Posts: 7,622member
    I actually like the guy in spite of his sometimes wacky thoughts on the future and Apple.

    Perhaps he gets a little too carried away with claims like Apple will 'own' the space, though. 

    The entire industry (Apple included) is moving towards the exact same goals. We know this is coming. It is already here to a degree. The only difference is that right now the stepping stone is using your phone for the AR visual overlay. It's a start, and more importantly, allows for AR content data to be accumulated. It will eventually hit glasses and perhaps even car windshields and other devices. I believe some cars may already 'project' some information in front of the driver. 
    edited May 2020
  • Reply 4 of 21
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Gene “Apple Is Going To Make A Television” Munster
    ronnlkruppcornchipwatto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 21
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    Apple already is killing everybody else in the wearables market.

    Look at the Apple Watch and look at the AirPods/AirPods Pro.

    Apple succeeds where others fail miserably.

    I have no doubts that Apple's glasses will be much better and much more successful than others who have attempted the same thing. Apple has proven that time and time again.


    jony0cornchipwatto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 21
    macgizmomacgizmo Posts: 102member
    Gene “Apple Is Going To Make A Television” Munster
    You got his name wrong. It's Gene "Apple is DOOMED if they don't make a television" Munster.
    SpamSandwichjony0cornchipRayz2016raoulduke42watto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 21
    rochfordrochford Posts: 32member
    Does anyone know how your eyes can focus both on the view ahead and something displayed 1/2” from your eyes?
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 21
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    rochford said:
    Does anyone know how your eyes can focus both on the view ahead and something displayed 1/2” from your eyes?
    Military uses Head Up Displays (HUD) which can give the user the impression that the information is floating out in space in front of them by adjusting the ‘toe-in’ on binocular screens.
    trashman69watto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 21
    Mike WuertheleMike Wuerthele Posts: 6,858administrator
    rochford said:
    Does anyone know how your eyes can focus both on the view ahead and something displayed 1/2” from your eyes?
    This is a trivial problem, and has already been solved with assorted HUD hardware since the late-'70s.
    fastasleepcornchipwatto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 21
    fastasleepfastasleep Posts: 6,408member
    rochford said:
    Does anyone know how your eyes can focus both on the view ahead and something displayed 1/2” from your eyes?
    You don't. Lenses and mirrors make everything appear in the "view ahead".
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 11 of 21
    aderutteraderutter Posts: 604member
    The other great thing about this sector is it’s one with such potentially great margins.
    My sister once worked at an opticians and told me how they bought designer frames for £10 and sold them for £200
    trashman69watto_cobra
  • Reply 12 of 21
    cornchipcornchip Posts: 1,945member
    aderutter said:
    The other great thing about this sector is it’s one with such potentially great margins.
    My sister once worked at an opticians and told me how they bought designer frames for £10 and sold them for £200

    True story.
    edited May 2020 watto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 21
    avon b7 said:
    I actually like the guy in spite of his sometimes wacky thoughts on the future and Apple.

    Perhaps he gets a little too carried away with claims like Apple will 'own' the space, though. 

    The entire industry (Apple included) is moving towards the exact same goals. We know this is coming. It is already here to a degree. The only difference is that right now the stepping stone is using your phone for the AR visual overlay. It's a start, and more importantly, allows for AR content data to be accumulated. It will eventually hit glasses and perhaps even car windshields and other devices. I believe some cars may already 'project' some information in front of the driver. 
    Wow! I’m sorry to say, but you are severely underestimating the difficulties of successful product design. Just because a few of the tech ingredients are already available in the world doesn’t mean anything. You are also quite disconnected from the tech world of today.  Your descriptions of the “stepping stone” and “belief that some cars may already project some info” etc tells me you are about 5-10 years behind of the current innovation frontline in both personal devices and mobility.
    watto_cobrafastasleep
  • Reply 14 of 21
    avon b7avon b7 Posts: 7,622member
    avon b7 said:
    I actually like the guy in spite of his sometimes wacky thoughts on the future and Apple.

    Perhaps he gets a little too carried away with claims like Apple will 'own' the space, though. 

    The entire industry (Apple included) is moving towards the exact same goals. We know this is coming. It is already here to a degree. The only difference is that right now the stepping stone is using your phone for the AR visual overlay. It's a start, and more importantly, allows for AR content data to be accumulated. It will eventually hit glasses and perhaps even car windshields and other devices. I believe some cars may already 'project' some information in front of the driver. 
    Wow! I’m sorry to say, but you are severely underestimating the difficulties of successful product design. Just because a few of the tech ingredients are already available in the world doesn’t mean anything. You are also quite disconnected from the tech world of today.  Your descriptions of the “stepping stone” and “belief that some cars may already project some info” etc tells me you are about 5-10 years behind of the current innovation frontline in both personal devices and mobility.
    I don't drive so forgive me for not being up to date on car implementations but as the technology to project information in front of pilots has existed for years, and years ago I read about the technology passing down to cars, it was a reasonable assumption.

    As for the real point in question, though I am stating fact. I have seen the roadmaps of certain companies and they are for the exact same use case. I mean exactly the same. The entire industry is working to that goal and we know they will reach it. 

    The stepping stone part is exactly what it is. Currently, you can hold your phone in front of you to get an overlay. Obviously using your phone for this (or a tablet) has its drawbacks but on the other hand it doesn't require a separate device either. 

    The problem is that AR cannot exist without a data pool to pull information from and these 'stepping stone' solutions allow content creators to develop and hone implementations - today.

    They are still baby steps but we know what is coming... 

    https://consumer.huawei.com/en/press/news/2019/huawei-cyberverse-a-new-world/

    https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/14/huawei-augmented-reality-ar-glasses.html

    And Samsung... 

    https://www.patentlyapple.com/patently-apple/2019/07/samsung-invents-augmented-realty-smartglasses-that-will-compete-with-huaweis-upcoming-gentle-monster-ar-glasses.html
    edited May 2020
  • Reply 15 of 21
    rochfordrochford Posts: 32member
    rochford said:
    Does anyone know how your eyes can focus both on the view ahead and something displayed 1/2” from your eyes?
    You don't. Lenses and mirrors make everything appear in the "view ahead".
    But what’s suggested isn’t a complex headset with mirrors and multiple lenses, but simple ‘ray ban’ style glasses.
    edited May 2020 watto_cobra
  • Reply 16 of 21
    jdb8167jdb8167 Posts: 626member
    rochford said:
    rochford said:
    Does anyone know how your eyes can focus both on the view ahead and something displayed 1/2” from your eyes?
    You don't. Lenses and mirrors make everything appear in the "view ahead".
    But what’s suggested isn’t a complex headset with mirrors and multiple lenses, but simple ‘ray ban’ style glasses.
    Says who? Are you getting that from the picture? There is almost no detail for this rumor and it wouldn’t matter if there was, none of the rumors are trustworthy.

    watto_cobra
  • Reply 17 of 21
    mr lizardmr lizard Posts: 354member
    rochford said:
    rochford said:
    Does anyone know how your eyes can focus both on the view ahead and something displayed 1/2” from your eyes?
    You don't. Lenses and mirrors make everything appear in the "view ahead".
    But what’s suggested isn’t a complex headset with mirrors and multiple lenses, but simple ‘ray ban’ style glasses.
    I have a feeling Apple is more than just a bit clued up on this stuff, especially if they’ve been working on it for years. Their staff have eyes too. You can relax. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 18 of 21
    juandljuandl Posts: 230member
     Think Apple will come out with more than one type of Glasses.  Or maybe a Goggle type.  
      To many phones where users could play their Arcade games on type being shown now.  
      And probably show Google glass how it should have worked. 
       But, thinking they will have a Goggle type for the serious players.   Put you in a real Avatar world.  
      Maybe thats a reason why Cameron is dragging his feet a bit to reveal 2 nd movie. 
  • Reply 19 of 21
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    I really don’t see them using the product name “Glass” after Google already used it.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 20 of 21
    fastasleepfastasleep Posts: 6,408member
    rochford said:
    rochford said:
    Does anyone know how your eyes can focus both on the view ahead and something displayed 1/2” from your eyes?
    You don't. Lenses and mirrors make everything appear in the "view ahead".
    But what’s suggested isn’t a complex headset with mirrors and multiple lenses, but simple ‘ray ban’ style glasses.
    Okay, so perhaps I simplified the answer too much. All AR applications use some form of mirror and lens system. If I said "structured geometric waveguides" instead of "lenses and mirrors" would that make more sense? Either way, the image comes from a small microLED screen adjacent to the lens which contains waveguides and reflectors that project the image back onto your retina essentially merging it with what you're looking at in the distance. You don't focus on the surface of the lens because that's not where the image lives — it's not a screen.

    Examples and more in-depth explanations:

    https://www.kura.tech/technology
    https://www.kura.tech/products

    https://www.schott.com/innovation/en/this-is-how-tomorrows-ar-glasses-tick/

    etc

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