If the word on the street is to be believed, Apple is apparently working on some kind of wearable headset. Exactly what they might be working on is unclear, but thanks to a new Bloomberg report, it seems that the Cupertino company was working not just on one headset, but apparently two.
Now, whether or not both versions will make it to the market remains to be seen, or if either will see the light of day, but apparently Apple is working on at least two versions. The report claims that one version, codenamed N301, will be a mixed reality kind of headset that combines the best of both virtual and augmented reality. Then there is also the N421, a pair of lightweight glasses designed to only rely on AR.
The report also goes on to reveal some of the internal struggles Apple has had with the development process. The headsets are said to be led by Mike Rockwell who heads up Apple’s Technology Development Group, a secretive group within Apple that is devoted to both VR and AR. It seems that prior to Jony Ive leaving Apple, Rockwell and Ive had kind of butted heads on the approach, where Rockwell had initially wanted to create a headset that relied on an external hub.
Ive, on the other hand, wasn’t trilled by the idea of using a separate hub to connect the headset with, resulting in a standoff that reportedly lasted for months. Apple’s CEO Tim Cook was also said to have ended up siding with Ive. The end result, if the report is accurate, will be a standalone device that while less powerful due to the lack of a hub, is said to be still more advanced than what’s available in the market today.
Take this with a grain of salt, but if the rumors are to be believed, Apple’s AR glasses might only make their debut either in 2021 or 2022.
Filed in . Read more about Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR) and Wearable Tech. Source: bloomberg