Apple Glass: Release Date, Price, Specs, News, and Rumors

Apple mixed reality appears to be shaping up in eyeglass/headset form

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Tim Fisher
VP and General Manager, Lifewire.com

Tim Fisher has 30+ years' professional technology experience. He focuses on support and Microsoft topics but is an expert in all areas of tech. He's also the VP and General Manager of Lifewire.

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Tim Fisher
Updated on March 08, 2021

Apple Glass (aka Apple Glasses) is rumored to be the next step in augmented reality for consumers. Apple was granted a U.S. patent for a 'predictive, foveated virtual reality system' and another for a head-wearable device. Both appear to be part of a long-rumored augmented/mixed reality head-mounted display system from the tech giant.

Apple Glasses US patent illustration

U.S. Patent Publication 20210034145

When Will Apple Glass Be Released?

There were dueling opinions on a release date, partly because there are possibly three types of glasses/goggles that Apple will eventually release.

Prolific Apple leaker Jon Prosser surmised (and he's frequently correct with his predictions) in May 2020, the company could introduce the AR glasses in the first quarter of 2021. He was wrong this time.

Respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says the first quarter of 2022 is more likely (at least for the "helmet type").

A rough release timeline obtained by AppleInsider appears to support Ming-Chi Kuo's predictions, plus it speculates there are two types of Apple Glass projects underway. MacRumors, too, says its sources claim Apple is working on two AR projects that include an augmented reality headset to be released in 2022, with a more refined version launching in 2023-2025 (maybe even contacts lenses a few years after that). Whether they'll all be called Apple Glass is still up for debate.

The acquisition of NextVR was considered a clear step in Apple's AR/VR direction. TechRadar surmised its content broadcasting experience could prove helpful in the long run for Apple, along with its sports content-licensing deals.

Lifewire's Release Date Estimate

Look for Apple Glass in 2022. We're with Ming-Chi Kuo on this one and betting on a 2022 acknowledgment and potential sale of the first version, with the more sophisticated version following in 2023. Look for a teaser to come as a 'One More Thing' statement at a standard Apple product launch event with the usual Apple MO of 'announce first, release months later.'

How Much Will Apple Glass Cost?

According to Prosser, the starting price will be around $500 plus the cost of an eyeglass prescription (if needed).

Where to Pre-Order

Since there's been no official announcement, there's nothing to pre-order. Yet.

Apple Glass Features and Specs

We're going off rumors here, but these are only the ones that make sense. Here's what we're expecting:

  • As close in style to typical glasses as possible
  • A half-inch display with 1280x960 resolution using Sony OLED Micro-displays
  • The iPhone will process all data
  • Plastic or metal frames
  • Both lenses will display information
  • A UI called 'Starboard'
  • Controlled by gestures
  • A Lidar sensor on the right temple
  • Over 12 cameras, both low and high resolution
  • Wireless charging features
  • Ability to scan Apple QR codes

Prosser claims current LiDAR data from the 2020 iPad Pro is going straight to the Apple Glass team. The 2020 iPhone 12 Pro Max also has LiDAR, so if you have one of those systems and he's right, you just might be assisting in the development of these new AR glasses.

How Does Apple Glass Work?

No one knows for sure, but the general idea behind the patent is an eyewear system that uses sensors to detect and track motion. The word 'foveated' stems from the idea of 'foveated rendering,' which essentially changes what the eye sees when something is viewed through a foveated lens.

The patent abstract says 'a Predictive, Foveated Virtual Reality System may capture views of the world around a user using multiple resolutions. The Predictive, Foveated Virtual Reality System may include one or more cameras. They would be configured to capture lower-resolution image data for a peripheral field of view while capturing higher resolution image data for a narrow field of view corresponding to a user's line of sight. Additionally, the Predictive, Foveated Virtual Reality System may also include one or more sensors or other mechanisms, such as gaze tracking modules or accelerometers, to detect or track motions.'

Building off this abstract, one could look at similar ideas from other companies to start getting the idea of what the eye would see. Nvidia researched this and has some compelling images that give a general idea of how Apple Glasses could work. This Foveated 3D Graphics paper from Microsoft Research is also helpful in understanding where Apple is headed with Apple Glass.

The Latest News About Apple Glass

You can get more Smart & Connected Life news from Lifewire on all kinds of topics; here are more stories (and some of those rumors) about Apple Glass in the meantime.

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