idropnewsApple already talked about ARKit, a new augmented reality platform, at its World Developers Conference, but the iPhone manufacturer may have a much more interesting future plan. According to three Foxconn employees, they are working on Project Mirrorshades, the term used by the company for lenses or glasses with motion detectors, transparent screens and integrated touch panels: the Apple AR glasses. And, given the importance of the project, we have compiled all the rumors and news about Apple AR glasses or lenses in this guide.
Launching
According to the analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple AR lenses may arrive in the second quarter of 2020, that is, it may even take place at the company's WWDC event that is usually held in June 2020. On the other part, according to Kuo, these glasses will work – more or less – like an Apple Watch, since you can't use them without an iPhone. Apparently, they will arrive to provide all the information we want directly in our eyes, however, your iPhone will be responsible for doing the heavy work in regards to internet connectivity, location services and computing.
A hiring that reveals a lot
It seems that the rumors are true. Recently, Apple published a vacancy to hire a 3D user interface engineer who will be part of the Project Development Group division.
"You will work with some of Apple's most advanced technology, including augmented reality (RA), virtual reality (RV) and all the support offered in ARKit and Metal 2," says Apple in the job vacancy description. In addition, the description indicates that it seeks to "manage the next generation of experiences" on the Apple platform.
VR and AR, very important for Apple
For months, we swore that Apple was developing lenses for only augmented reality. But according to a recent Cnet report, it seems that the apple company has decided that both technologies are important. According to the original source, the device will have an 8K screen for each eye and can be connected wirelessly to a nearby device. Nor will it be necessary to place cameras in a specific room.
According to the assumptions used, Apple's prototypical AR lenses will be constructed with Kopin NED Acetate frames, "polarized or prescribed" and Zeiss optics.
Thus, small projectors project images into a 428 240 glass prism in front of the lenses and DC motors produce sound by vibrating through the small bones of the user's ears, such as Google Glass lenses.
He Mirrorshades project It allegedly has a touch-sensitive band on the arm that allows users to accept calls and control the volume, but it is said that movement is the primary means of navigation.
So, a mixture of magnetometer and light sensor detect when the user shakes the head and responds accordingly. That is, a user of the Tinder application, for example, could shake his head or accept with an affirmative gesture.
In addition, regarding materials, Apple will not have stopped spending. It is rumored that the frames will be of cellulose acetate injection molds in an aluminum mold ”with a P3 frame design and will be available in two sizes: for men and women. And, at least, there will be three color options, including glass, black and champagne, in addition to seasonal updates.
Also according to Bloomberg, Apple would prefer to develop its own chip instead of using an existing chip. And also it is the company that creates a new operating system for the device.
The alleged employees of Foxconn warn that the cost of glasses or lenses will be approximately $ 150 dollars, but that Apple will probably set a price for the public around $ 600 dollars.
Design
iDrop News published a series of renderings that imagine how the design of these Apple AR lenses will be. The patents discovered earlier disclosed Apple's ideas for the lenses and on this occasion, the glasses on which Cupertino's are working look like a pair of normal lenses, which contain augmented reality technology.
The renders also show how the lenses will be charged: the idea is that it is through a Qi base for wireless charging. To see the rest of the renders, you can visit the iDrop News website.
Apple's hardware is usually enviable, so we don't expect an augmented reality product from this company to have air wires. And now, according to a patent found by Patently Apple, it seems that Apple will be developing lenses that seem to be consistent with the rumors we have seen before. Although it is not yet known whether they will be built for augmented reality or virtual reality (the patent mentions both), it is clear that Apple thinks it is crucial to reduce the size of a device like this and is thinking of designs that achieve that task.
For example, this patent uses multiple lenses to achieve the same effect as other larger devices, in order to align them with something known as a "catadioptric optical system." It is something present in telescopes and this arrangement is a compact way to focus the light, and it helps eliminate the colors that you sometimes see on the edges of your vision in AR or VR, also known as "chromatic aberration." The smaller fix can help reduce the size of the device, which will be an important step in making AR glasses usable in real terms.
Although there is no mention of audio in this particular patent, it is safe to assume that the leaks show that Apple works on a system related to DC motors that produce sound by vibrating the bones present within the user's ears, such as Go to the Google Glass.
The patent also mentions device tracking, as well as the ability to track the location in a 3D space without the help of external sensors, which will be a good thing for Apple if it can reduce the size.
With regard to controls, the patent mentions a variety of controls and it is likely that Apple has not yet decided on a single control method, since they mention from microphones, to keyboards and touchpads. It is likely that Apple lenses for augmented reality are similar to Google Glass and previous rumors indicated that at least one prototype will be used with a touch-sensitive band on the legs to answer calls and control the volume. Those rumors also detailed that there will be a magnetometer and light sensor that detects when the user moves his head, and responds accordingly. A Tinder user, for example, may nod to say that he is interested in another person.
Other rumors talked about two devices of different sizes and that will come in at least three colors, with the potential for other colors to be added according to the season of the year.
Corning, known for his Gorilla Glass for cellphone screen protection, will be working in specialized glass, especially for VR and AR, Variety reports. Corning has been Apple's supplier since the first iPhone in 2007 and Apple has invested $ 200 million in the company, especially for research and development.
A recent Bloomberg report states that Apple will develop its own chip for its device instead of using an existing one. The same report indicates that the company created an operating system for the device, similar to what it did with the Apple Watch.
Patents
Apple files and obtains numerous patents every year. And reviewing the company's catalog can reveal some information about Apple AR lenses.
For example, according MacRumors, A 2008 patent was registered for a video system within what looks like ski goggles or glasses.
In addition, there will be two video modules inside that allow 3D viewing. The patent was for an entertainment device, but it could also be used for augmented reality. Also, the drawings show that the device will connect to an iPod with a scroll wheel.
* Article updated October 10, 2019 by Estefania Oliver
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