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Apple Glass Could Be Released in 2022 at $499
May 24, 2020

Jon Prosser has released a video discussing Apple's long-rumored augmented reality smart glasses. In it, he predicts that all data processing is said to happen on a wirelessly connected iPhone, similar to how the Apple Watchcommunicates. 
 
Figure 1: Apple Glass Prototype

Source: Jon Prosser

The "Apple Glass" is expected to retail for $499, but a prescription cost would increase the total cost to the user — and sunglasses may not be available at launch. 
LiDAR is integrated on the right-hand side of the frames, but there are no other cameras in the prototype. The "Apple Glass" also reportedly comes with a plastic stand for wireless charging. The user interface is called "Starboard" according to Prosser. Information is displayed on both lenses, and the user interface can be controlled both on, and in front of the device with user gestures. Prosser also believes that the devices can scan proprietary QR codes. It isn't clear if the QR codes in question are the ones spotted in the internal build of iOS 14. Prosser believes that it is planned as a "one more thing"-style announcement. A release date was originally planned for the fourth quarter of 2020 or the first quarter of 2021, but could now be pushed back to 2022. The device is expected to debut much earlier than it is available to consumers, with a release many months later. Apple reportedly told its engineers it plans for a launch by 2022.  Unlike technologies like Google Glass, which simply offered a basic interface within the user's vision, Apple's smart glasses are generally thought to incorporate augmented reality, providing elements of an interface and other graphics as an overlay of the user's real-world view. In theory this provides users with information about physical objects and locations they can see, or offering an alternate appearance for the same viewpoint. The glasses are highly likely to take advantage of the existing ARKit framework, as well as borrowing technologies at use elsewhere, such as 3D sensors similar to the 2020 iPad Pro's LiDAR system, which we described last week. The eyewear is expected to be linked to an iPhone, similar to the Apple Watch, with some patents suggesting mounting the iPhone within the glasses and placing the assembly directly in front of the user's eyes. There has also been a suggestion holographic elementsoverlaying the AR image, while mounting the main hardware away from the front of the face.