It’s well-known that Apple has been developing head-mounted AR and VR products over the last five years, and in a recent technology podcast, Apple tipster Jon Prosser revealed that the company’s AR glasses will include 5G.
Speaking on the Gadget Cast video show, Prosser was discussing the latest Apple leaks, and whilst taking questions from viewers, he dropped 5G into the conversation around Apple Glasses.
“I don't think anyone has said this yet,” Prosser teased, “but the AR glasses are 5G. I believe they are just called Apple Glasses, and that they will run off 5G, and will heavily depend on your Apple Watch and iPhone.”
Prosser went on to say that he believes, although some processing and other functionality may be passed over to an iPhone or Watch, that Apple Glasses will have to work as a standalone device.
“I think they'll still work even if you don't have an Apple device with you,” said Prosser. “And if you're looking at someone that's wearing Apple Glasses, and it's displaying something on the screen, you can't see it. They look like glasses; they don't look like heavy machinery on your face. Almost exactly what you would expect from Apple.”
Prosser says that the two prototypes he saw were in black and white, and he also said that they will be running a new OS for AR devices, called ‘Starboard’. But exactly when we might see these glasses isn’t yet known.
The technology doesn't exist yet
Recently, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that technology does not currently exist to create a decent pair of augmented reality smart glasses, but he has been an outspoken advocate of AR technology since 2016, when he said that Apple was “high on AR in the long run”.
"I can tell you the technology itself doesn't exist to do that in a quality way,” said Cook. “The field of view, the quality of the display itself, it's not there yet."
Cook wouldn’t specify when the technology would be ready. But if Prosser’s sources are to be believed, it appears that Apple Glasses may be further down the production pipeline than commentators thought, and we could see a launch as early as 2021, which some experts say is when they expect to see a 5G iPhone, too (although 2022 seems a more realistic date).
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