Yesterday Nikkei Asian Review reported that Apple is indeed developing augmented reality (AR) glasses that will go on sale as soon as the end of 2019. Now Bloomberg says the “breakthrough device” will have a new chip and operating system.
The article claims that the tech giant is designing an in-house chip that’s similar in concept to the “system-on-a-package” component in the Apple Watch. Bloomberg adds that the new operating system, internally dubbed “rOS” for “reality operating system,” is based on iOS. Geoff Stahl, formerly a software manager for games and graphics at Apple, is said to be one of the directors of the “rOS” software group.
The goal is to create a headset with a built-in display capable of streaming 3D video without draining the battery. Apple began putting together a team to work on AR-related projects a couple of years ago, Bloomberg reported in March. Led by Mike Rockwell, who previously ran engineering at Dolby Labs, the group has now grown to several hundred engineers from across Apple, the article adds.
Scattered across office parks in both Cupertino and Sunnyvale, California, the team is reportedly working on several hardware and software projects under the umbrella code name of “T288.”
