Apple’s rumored release of its AR glasses demands patience

By Trevor Mogg June 12, 2022

While the Apple rumor mill has recently been focusing on the company’s reported mixed reality headset, Apple engineers are also believed to be working on a pair of high-tech glasses featuring augmented reality (AR) technology.

The tech giant has remained characteristically tight-lipped on the matter, though a new report from 9to5Mac suggests that it’s aiming to launch the advanced specs in “late 2024.” That means they could arrive a whole two years after Apple’s AR/VR headset, which some suggest will be unveiled later this year before landing in stores in early 2023.

Related Videos

The information comes courtesy of oft-quoted analyst Jeff Pu of Haitong Intl Tech Research, who in a note seen by 9to5Mac said he believes that Apple will introduce its first AR glasses in the second half of 2024.

Additionally, Pu also claimed that Apple would launch the second generation of its AR/VR headset in late 2024, around the same time as the AR glasses and about a year after the first-gen headset seems set to land.

Not a great deal is known about Apple’s rumored glasses. Most leaks in recent months have referenced Apple’s AR/VR headset, with Apple engineers reportedly having recently presented a prototype of the device to the company’s top team, including Apple CEO Tim Cook.

It’s certain that the mixed reality headset will be the more advanced of the two devices, likely packing a suite of AR/VR technologies powered by Apple Silicon and possibly including an 8K display for each eye. The so-called “Apple Glasses,” meanwhile, will reportedly function primarily as a display for the iPhone, showing information transmitted from the handset.

With the first iteration of the rumored specs apparently a long way from any kind of launch, it’s possible that Apple is still fiddling with the design, so the final product could be markedly different from the one it’s playing with today. The company could even abandon the project if it feels it’s not making any progress with it.

There’s certainly a lot more information out there regarding the AR/VR headset, suggesting it’s well on its way to becoming a … ahem … reality.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Computing

The biggest Apple design fails and screw-ups of all time

Apple Pencil

Apple is world-famous for its design success stories, from the iMac G3 to all the best iPhones. But things don’t always go according to plan, even for the most design-savvy tech firm on the planet.

No, Apple has had its fair share of design howlers over the years. Here, we’ve rounded up eight of the most egregious design sins Apple has ever committed. It’s a good reminder that no one is above dropping a few absolute clunkers -- even Apple.
The butterfly keyboard

Mobile

What is 5G? Speeds, coverage, comparisons, and more

The 5G UW icon on the Samsung Galaxy S23.

It's been years in the making, but 5G — the next big chapter in wireless technology — is finally approaching the mainstream. While we haven't yet reached the point where it's available everywhere, nearly all of the best smartphones are 5G-capable these days, and you're far more likely to see a 5G icon lit up on your phone than not.

There's more to 5G than just a fancy new number, though. The technology has been considerably more complicated for carriers to roll out since it covers a much wider range of frequencies than older 4G/LTE technology, with different trade-offs for each. It's also a much farther-reaching wireless technology, promising the kind of global connectivity that was once merely a dream found in futuristic sci-fi novels.

Computing

Microsoft’s Bing Chat waitlist is gone — how to sign up now

Microsoft Edge browser showing Bing Chat on an iPhone.

It appears Microsoft is doing away with the long Bing Chat waitlist. As originally reported by Windows Central, new users who sign up for the waitlist are immediately given access to the AI chatbot, without having to wait, and Digital Trends has confirmed this to be the case.

Microsoft hasn't officially killed the waitlist, but it should go away in short order. On Tuesday, Microsoft bolstered OpenAI's launch of the GPT-4 model by confirming that it was the model behind Bing Chat. Microsoft is also set to host an AI-focused event on Thursday, where we expect to hear about AI integrations in Microsoft's Office apps like Word and PowerPoint. It's possible Microsoft could remove the waitlist during the presentation.