I dont follow Apple all that closely, but I was interested to see that they are moving into the Augment / Virtual reality (A/R V/R) space with an upcoming product. This article shows schematics for upcoming A/R glasses which makes sense for Apple. From the article:
Apple is rumored to have a secret research unit comprising hundreds of employees working on AR and VR, exploring ways the emerging technologies could be used in future Apple products. VR/AR hiring has ramped up and Apple has acquired multiple AR/VR companies as it furthers its work in the AR/VR space.
This makes sense, as this would be the next logical extension to the Apple Watch. It looks like they are headed in two directions – Apple Glass which would provide an easy way to get notifications – kind of a heads up display for everyday use.
According to the rumors Apple appears to be working on a V/R headset also. This has been rumored for some time, but there are more specifics to the rumors:
Along with augmented reality smart glasses of some kind, rumors have suggested that Apple is working on an incredibly powerful AR/VR headset that’s not quite like anything else on the market. It is said to feature an 8K display for each eye that would be untethered from either a computer or a smartphone, and it would work with both virtual and augmented reality applications:
Along with augmented reality smart glasses of some kind, rumors have suggested that Apple is working on an incredibly powerful AR/VR headset that’s not quite like anything else on the market. It is said to feature an 8K display for each eye that would be untethered from either a computer or a smartphone, and it would work with both virtual and augmented reality applications.Rather than relying on a connection to a smartphone or a computer, the headset would connect to a “dedicated box” using a high-speed short-range wireless technology called 60GHz WiGig. The box would be powered by a custom 5-nanometer Apple processor that’s “more powerful than anything currently available.” At the current time, the box apparently resembles a PC tower, but it “won’t be an actual Mac computer.”
For years I have been skeptical of Apples ability to innovate – every year all they innovate is a bigger iPhone or bigger iPad at a bigger price. However, I have to give them credit for getting the Apple Watch to gain market share. Now the real innovation that I am intrigued by is their recent purchase of a company called NextVR. This company ” specializes in recording live events like concerts and sports matches to be experienced in VR “. So Apple might be just the consumer company to finally bring VR to the masses, if they can take the worlds media consumption to a whole new level from streaming TV shows to streaming VR shows.
So keep your eye on Apple – while these are only rumors, it seems a logical next step for the company.
Thanks for this update. I also saw in the article that Apple may be partnering with Valve. I am now totally on board with your view that gaming will not lead this technology. The highly acclaimed VR game Half Life:Alyx doesn’t appear to have moved the bar for VR gaming. Too bad this wasn’t a couple years farther along. It would have made a huge difference in this environment.
Yeah – I think Apple can provide the marketing innovation this technology needs, and can complement their existing ecosystem. For years PDA’s and cellphone technology failed to gain mass acceptance – until Apple re-envisioned it and polished it up with the iPhone. I definitely see a parallel here.