Image: AFP/Kimihiro Hoshino via AFP Relaxnews
According to a notable tech analyst who has a history reporting on Apple developments, the company could be mass producing their first augmented reality (AR) product, either a set of glasses or headset, as soon as the fourth quarter of this year, as reported by 9To5Mac.
On Friday, Taiwan-based long-time Apple-focused analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple’s first AR product that has been rumored since 2017 will most likely go into production during the fourth quarter of this year. While we do not know whether the device will be a headset or a set of glasses, Kuo is confident that the product will be “heavily dependent on the iPhone,” as per 9To5Mac.
More specifically, 9To5Mac noted Kuo explaining that the “AR glasses will essentially act as a display only with the actual computing, rendering, internet connectivity and location services coming from the iPhone in the user’s pocket,” probably pairing wirelessly like the Apple Watch.
This type of system design could enable the AR device to be far more lightweight than headsets like Microsoft’s HoloLens or the Oculus Rift, since a great deal of the unit’s brainpower is simply coming from a smartphone rather than it being integrated into the wearable. On the other hand, those who are not Apple users will be out of luck.
Just like Bloomberg reported back in November 2017, the AR product’s 2020 launch looks promising if all continues to progress according to plan. JB
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