Do we see the next hit here?
No, these are not Apple ski goggles. Rather, we see the latest pictures of Apple’s rumor mill as the next hit for the years to come. A product-turned union of virtual with augmented reality – inspired by Microsoft of all places. What’s it all about?
Based on inside information from “The Information” incorporates designer Antonio De Rosa Model of Apple’s possibly next hit. Looks like glasses that could also serve their purpose on the descent, but they are actually combined VR / AR glasses. “Mixed Reality” is what this union of virtual and augmented reality is called. So basically Apple is trying to get a better “copy” of Microsoft’s “HoloLens”. So far, it has mainly achieved respectable successes, but it does not play a role for normal users. Mixed reality glasses from Apple could and should reach the mass market.
Apple vs. Microsoft: Mixed Reality as the next hit
The name “Apple View” was invented by De Rosa, but the rest is based on the information already available from a late Apple prototype. We see a curvy design with an eye rest made of mesh fabric, similar to the one Apple already uses for the AirPods Max. Several colors are used as well as interchangeable headbands.
So that this also works with virtual and augmented reality, the glasses should have a large number of cameras and also LiDAR scanners. This is the only way to precisely record head movements. The most important feature will be the ability to stream videos from the real world through the screen and display them to the user, creating a “mixed reality effect”. Two 8K displays with eye tracking technology are to be used to achieve the required high resolution.
Microsoft has shown it, Apple now wants to do it even better:
Schedule and Price
And when should Apple’s mixed reality headset be presented? There are different views. Apple insider Ming-Chi Kuo assumes this year, the experts from JP Morgan expect it in the first quarter of 2022. The absolute “hammer” is likely to be the price: 3,000 US dollars! Still a good 500 US dollars cheaper than Microsoft’s “HoloLens”, but actually still too expensive for the targeted mass market. Maybe you have to distinguish “Apple Glass” from the glasses shown here. Probably a second project, a much cheaper, pure AR glasses. It remains exciting until the unveiling.
