Skip to main content

Apple’s AR/VR solution might require two Apple Watches to work

If you thought the Apple ecosystem could not get any more expensive, get ready. The upcoming Apple AR/VR headset may require two Apple Watches to use. At $199 a piece for the cheapest Apple Watch, that’s pricey.

The rumors come from a patent discovered by Patently Apple, as first reported by TechRadar. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted Apple a patent for Apple Watch systems to detect hand gestures, including when one hand touches the other. This could also apply to track when a hand touches an object such as a mouse or keyboard. The system uses radio frequencies broadcasted from the watch to track movements.

A patent diagram showing fingers touching the palm of the hand while a watch monitors the action
Image credit: Apple and Patently Apple

VR manufacturers have had a tough time figuring out the hand-tracking technology to make VR usable. Meta (formerly known as Facebook) is one of the only companies to pull it off, by using two handheld paddles with buttons and joysticks. Google had to ditch its much-hyped Google Glass when they couldn’t figure out how to interact with the world in AR/VR. People looked silly shouting “OK Google!” every two minutes in public didn’t turn out to be a great solution.

Recommended Videos

The Apple AR/VR could be prohibitively expensive if these rumors are true. The headset alone is rumored to cost upwards of $3,000. Add on a further $1,000 for two Apple Watches and the price becomes ridiculous. We don’t see how this could be a viable consumer product.

Instead, Apple may include two Apple Watch-style devices with the headset. These realistically won’t have the same functionality as a fully-fledged Apple Watch and would be designed solely for use with the AR/VR headset. This is the same approach Meta took with its Oculus paddles. Another approach Apple could take is to include some other hand-tracking device with the glasses but allow users the option to use Apple Watch as well. In this case, the patent would be nothing more than a means for Apple to protect its technology.

Apple has said they are trying many different approaches to solve the hand-tracking problem with VR. The Apple AR/VR headset is expected to launch in 2023, although there is still no firm date from Apple.

Nathan Drescher
Former Computing Writer
Nathan Drescher is a freelance journalist and writer from Ottawa, Canada. He's been writing about technology from around the…
Apple’s AR glasses are coming, but they could be too late for Mac fans
Apple iGlasses

Mac fans received some bad news a week or two ago. No, it wasn’t that the upcoming MacBook Air has been canned or that prices are doubling on the MacBook Pro. It was that Apple had canceled a plan to release a pair of augmented reality (AR) glasses that would pair with a Mac, giving users a brand-new way to use their computer in 3D space.

Sure, it sounds like a pretty niche device. But it could have been an interesting stopgap between the Vision Pro -- with its big, bulky design that’s ill-suited to long-term use -- and a proper pair of AR glasses that don’t need to be connected to your home computer.

Read more
Apple’s secret Vision Pro controller suggests it’s finally taking VR gaming seriously
A person gaming on the Apple Vision Pro headset.

You would think that Apple’s Vision Pro headset would be the perfect platform for virtual reality (VR) gaming. After all, it has a top-notch processor, super-high-resolution displays, and both VR and augmented reality (AR) capabilities. In theory, that should make it a leading device for gamers.

The reality is, unfortunately, very different, with few popular gaming titles making it onto visionOS. And really, Apple’s headset is held back by one key weakness: its lack of proper VR controller support.

Read more
Apple’s AR smart glasses may not be dead, after all
Person wearing Meta Orion smart glasses.

It seems Apple’s plans for making AR glasses are not dead after all, though it might take some time before the company puts them on the shelves. Bloomberg recently reported that Apple has shelved its AR smart glasses project, just like its doomed car project.

Now, the outlet claims that Apple has not entirely given up on that category. “I’m told that Apple’s long-term goal of standalone AR glasses remains intact, and the company will keep working on underlying technology — like screens and silicon — to help make such a device more feasible,” writes Mark Gurman in the latest edition of his PowerOn newsletter.

Read more