The hardware sector is undergoing a huge change, which could be related to helmets or smart glasses. In response to this change, and to attract developers, Apple is building two different hardware platforms at the same time.
For this upcoming, and some kind of “reality” related change is what, in the end, is virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), extended reality (extended reality, ER) or mixed reality (mixed reality, XR), many people have different views.
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, has changed the company’s name from Facebook to Meta and encompassed all of these realities in what he considers to be a “meta-universe. This marketing scheme has led many to see Zuckerberg as the leader, or at least the thought leader, of this new trend.
According to the press, Zuckerberg insists that VR represents the future, while Apple believes it’s AR. confusingly, Apple, the main driver of the hardware platform, is expected to launch an AR-enabled VR product next year.
With so much fear, uncertainty, doubt and hype surrounding the so-called “metaverse,” it’s important to stop and understand what’s happening now and what could happen in the future. Mike Elgan, a columnist in the technology field, argues that
— There is no meta-universe, and there never will be. The metaverse is really a shared, open VR/AR version of the Internet.
— The basic end-user devices for VR and AR experiences fall into three categories: 1) bulky VR headsets for indoor use only; 2) bulky AR headsets for indoor use only, and 3) everyday AR glasses that look like regular glasses.
— Of the three categories above, the first two will offer exciting, high-quality experiences, but will always be niche products in specific areas only. For example, video game consoles or drones, are popular but not central to most people’s lives.
— The third category is AR glasses that can be worn throughout the day in all social situations, and which will likely replace smartphones as the core must-have device for everyone. Such devices will spark a revolution in human culture, changing the way we live, work, and think. Some argue that within 10 years, AR glasses will become more important in work and life than smartphones.
Knowing these trends, what kind of plan does Apple have to respond?
Apple now has hundreds of employees actively building two separate hardware platforms, which will run a mobile operating system called realityOS. The first platform is a headset, and the second is smart glasses.
Apple’s headset, which is expected to ship next year, is essentially VR hardware primarily for AR support, although it also supports VR capabilities. For AR, this means that the camera will capture a view of the user’s physical environment, which will be presented to the user in real-time and augmented with audio and visual information. It was previously reported that Apple’s killer app for this platform would be a virtual meeting based on digital avatars. The hardware will be as powerful as a personal computer and just as expensive (at least $2,000), and will feature two 8K displays, one for each eye.
Apple’s AR glasses will be equipped with sensors for mapping 3D space and monitoring the user’s identity, gaze focus and other factors. Spatial audio will help create the illusion that virtual objects exist in physical space. The glasses will look much like regular glasses and will support the use of prescription lenses and could ship in 2025. Little is known about the final configuration of this eyewear product, and Apple may not have finalized the specifications yet.
Elgan believes that of the two products, the glasses are likely to spark a new revolution, replacing smartphones as the central platform for a major cultural change.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has repeatedly stressed that the company sees AR as the future of Apple. So why build two platforms at the same time? Why develop VR devices? Why didn’t Apple just wait until the smart glasses technology was mature before entering the market? In the words of Steve Ballmer, former CEO of Microsoft, it’s all about attracting developers.
Apple’s first headset will likely be launched primarily as a proof of concept to inform the revolutionary glasses to come. They will likely compete in a crowded market limited to short-term indoor use with devices that will actually provide an exciting experience but appear too bulky and restrictive for most businesses or consumers.
However, these types of headsets will give developers a reason to embrace and stick with ARkit. They will enable enterprise developers to build custom apps and encourage niche markets to use realityOS for event marketing and experiential marketing. They will also show the world what Apple plans to do and create a more secure environment for the upcoming Apple Glass. The glasses could go mainstream and become the platform that replaces smartphones.
Many expect Apple to call the headset “Apple Reality”. The best-case scenario for Apple is that the AR glasses will be available within three years, with thousands of compelling apps running on them by then. Truly compelling apps take a lot of time to develop, and companies need years to test, develop, train and integrate. As a stopgap measure, Apple Reality will provide Apple with the time it needs.
Will this strategy work? It is not yet known. Apple has a good track record, but it will depend on what Apple actually develops and what its competitors do. Apple has a chance to lead the third major industry change (the other two being personal computers and smartphones). But whether Apple succeeds or fails, it’s almost certain that AR glasses will lead the third big change.
Why will smart glasses change the world?
When people can wear smart glasses like regular glasses anywhere, it may enter the so-called “augmented society”. For example, when you read an e-book or view a document on the web or on your laptop, every element you see is a portal to relevant information. They can be copied, pasted, shared, captured, indexed, duplicated, sampled, saved and searched.
Researchers at the University of Surrey have released a new version of their “Next Generation Paper” (NGP) project. With low-cost conductive paper, physical paper books can provide enhanced content through simple gestures. For example, flip the paper and contextual information will be displayed on a nearby device. This idea will be implemented by advanced AR glasses, which will be able to recognize text and provide any type of contextual information through gestures, without the need for special paper, smartphones or tablets. The contextual information will be displayed hovering over the book.
Cameras and other sensors, coupled with artificial intelligence (AI), will enable smart glasses to recognize books, as well as symbols, landmarks, objects, people, etc. QR codes will tell the glasses where to place virtual images and information. the huge shift that AR will bring is that everything, not just digital things, will have access to digital properties. Knowledge about things seems to increasingly reside on the things themselves, rather than in the human mind or on the Internet.
While it is interesting to know how smart glasses will support what we do on our smartphones, it is important to remember that smartphones have also enabled things not previously possible, such as posting photos on social media. Smart glasses will turn the entire world into our own personal AI-enhanced computers that will have capabilities we can’t even imagine right now while supporting behaviors we never thought possible.
Apple can’t afford to take a back seat to the next culture-changing technology, and for that reason, it is building two platforms: one to attract developers and the other to deal with big changes.
