With all the talk about startup companies like Leap Motion making headway in producing low-cost AR devices, you may have lost track of what the tech industry titans are bringing to the table. But fear not, we have updates for you about Apple and their upcoming releases of high-end technology in the global marketplace of Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality equipment!

Apple has maintained relative secrecy despite the prying eyes of analysts and experts regarding their unique AR/VR products. Still, it’s no surprise that news is spreading about their prospective projects. Apple CEO Tim Cook has been quoted saying that he regards augmented reality as “a big idea, like the smartphone,” in 2017 he told The Independent: “The smartphone is for everyone, we don’t have to think the iPhone is about a certain demographic, or country or vertical market: it’s for everyone. I think AR is that big, it’s huge.”

It should be fairly obvious that AR could have as wide an audience as Smartphones, considering they are the number one AR device currently in the hands of users around the world. But Apple isn’t ready to stop there, they are looking to release two headset devices in the next few years, as well as hand-mounted controllers, and have expressed interest in inviting developers to begin designing applications for the wearable tech as early as 2021.

Let’s take a closer look at what we know so far about their works-in-progress.

Full Headset

Codenamed N301, a full headset model of wearable tech is Apple’s initial stop on the way to taking their share of the AR/VR market. With the flexibility of full immersion (VR), as well as overlayed immersion (AR), the device is also aimed to be slimmer and more comfortable for users than previously-released headset already on the market.

Originally slated for a tentative 2020 release date, technological development issues have pushed that back to 2022. This date is entirely speculative, of course, but comes from a report published by The Information who has been tracking development for years and references items such as patent filings and insider reports.

Furthermore, they state that employees were advised to expect Apple to reach out to developers as 2021 to begin building applications for the device pre-release.

Essentially, the device has similar features to many existing devices, but the exact scope and power of Apple’s tech is still unknown. The device will feature cameras to capture outside video, the ability to detect object outlines, and a hi-res screen to allow the user to experience both AR and VR. A patent suggests the screen may be dropped in favour of allowing users to use their own iPhone, whose audio and applications would connect automatically to the headset when in use.

AR Smartglasses

Apple intends to release a more minimal AR device subsequent to the full headset. This would be a type of Smartglasses equipment, similar to a thick pair of sunglasses.

Unlike the original headset, this one will not provide full immersion (VR) capabilities but will forego that ability in favour of making the wearable device more comfortable and allow for much longer safe periods of use.

Apple may also incorporate another cool feature they have been investigating. If applied correctly, the lenses of the device will darken when in use, signalling to others that the person is using the augmented overlay. Imagine it like putting on your headphones to let people know you don’t want to talk right now.

The release date for this tech is also ambiguous, but expected to follow relatively quickly after the release of the full headset model. The Information cites the expected delivery year as 2023, just one year after the first device hits the market.

Hand-Mounted Controllers

Another important contribution to AR/VR that Apple is looking to make is to the handheld or hand-mounted controllers.

Patent filings show us that they have tentatively put forward an idea for an “iRing”, a small ring-shaped piece of wearable tech designed to allow the user to interact with the digital elements around them, as well as potentially provide more accurate feedback from real-world objects the user comes into contact with.

Likely enabled with a camera, motion sensors, and even proximity sensors, the haptic feedback applications of such a device sound truly marvelous.

The concept of the iRing goes hand-in-hand (pardon the pun) with an AR/VR glove designs for which Apple submitted patent paperwork as well. While not as convenient, perhaps, as a simple ring, they do go to show that Apple is serious about providing consistent real-world feedback, and a seamless user experience.

While Apple is clearly in no rush to hit the market, it is probably a wise judgement call. Google recently scrapped one of their own VR projects, the “Daydream Experiment”, which would have seen VR devices powered through widely available smartphone technology, citing a decrease in usage and a disinterest from developers as the cause.

There is no doubt that AR and VR wearable gear has struggled for mass adoption for a number of reasons, from cost to user experience to technological limitations. Let’s hope that Apple, renowned for their simple user interfaces and uncomplicated customer experience, is biding their time in order to release a solid product line with a healthy suite of ready-to-go applications.

Companies like CuePixel are chomping at the bit to see those mass adoption obstacles overcome, so we can bring you more life-changing content and start to really harness the power of AR and VR to improve our actual reality.

Maybe Apple’s gear will help push things over the tipping point. But for now, we’ll just have to wait and see...