Apple’s first augmented reality (AR) device could be available by mid-2020, says well-connected industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. The head-mounted device will be an iPhone accessory that will serve as a display, while the iPhone does the heavy lifting of computing, networking, and positioning.
Making the AR glasses an iPhone accessory allows Apple to keep the glasses lightweight and less bulky, as there will be no need to squeeze all of the processing hardware into the headwear.
Kuo believes Apple could start cranking out the glasses as soon as early in the fourth quarter of this year, but admits production could delay as far as second quarter of 2020.
Kuo’s projection isn’t the first to predict AR headwear from Apple, as November 2017 saw a Bloomberg report that Apple would have a headset ready by 2019, possibly shipping in 2020. The report indicated the headset would run a new iOS-based operating system, dubbed “rOS,” (reality operating system).
Apple has been exploring the possibilities of both virtual reality and augmented reality technologies over the last decade. Company CEO Tim Cook has discussed the possibilities of augmented reality many times over the last few years, saying the technology “amplifies human performance instead of isolating humans.”
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