According to a Bloomberg report by Mark Gurman, Apple execs previewed the company’s mixed-reality headset to its board of directors last week. The article, quoting unnamed “people with knowledge of the matter,” says this indicated that development of the device has reached an “advanced stage.”
Gurman says Apple has been working on augmented reality versions of core iPhone apps to use on the headset, as well as new apps “that will handle tasks such as streaming immersive content and holding virtual meetings.” Some folks think we might get a preview of these rumored “Apple Glasses” at next month’s Apple Worldwide Development Conference. The Sellers Research Group (that’s me) thinks there’s a 90% chance this will happen.
When it comes to Apple Glasses, such a device will arrive in late 2022 or 2023, depending on which rumor you believe. (I think it will be early to mid-2023 before it arrives for end users).
It will be a head-mounted display. Or may have a design like “normal” glasses. Or it may be eventually be available in both. The Apple Glasses may or may not have to be tethered to an iPhone to work. Other rumors say that Apple Glasses could have a custom-build Apple chip and a dedicated operating system dubbed “rOS” for “reality operating system.”
