Apple’s rumored AR glasses have been held under pretty tight wraps, but a new leak reveals the most information we have seen yet. According to Front Page Tech’s Jon Prosser, they will be called Apple Glass and will retail for about $500. If you need prescription lenses, they will cost a bit more.
The release date for Apple’s AR specs has been all over the place. When rumors of the tech surfaced in 2016, anonymous sources claimed the glasses would be unveiled in 2018. That never happened. What we got instead was Tim Cook saying VR will be as big as smartphones.
Early last year, reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted the glasses would go into mass production in Q4 2019 and be available this year. Then in November, a leaked internal presentation had an AR headset slated for 2022 with a set of AR glasses to follow in 2023.
It is unclear about a release but speculated that they could be announced in conjunction with the iPhone 12 this year. Prosser’s source said was that Cupertino wants the Apple Glass unveiling to be a “One More Thing” event, meaning it wants the press to be present. For this reason, the reveal could be pushed into Q1 2021 due to coronavirus distancing guidelines.
This is earlier than last year’s report of a 2023 release date. However, keep in mind that this is just an unveiling date. The release of the product is not expected to come earlier than Q4 2021 or Q1 2022, which puts it closer to the latest reporting.
As should be expected for a $500 price tag, data processing for Apple Glass will be reliant on an iPhone. Onboard processors increase not only the cost per unit but also the bulk. Apple is shooting for a set of glasses, not a headset with this gadget, so separate processing makes sense, especially for a first-generation product.
