Angela Lang/CNET
Apple’s been rumored to be working a pair of smart glasses for years. On Tuesday, Front Page Tech host Jon Prosser shared alleged details about the augmented reality glasses, which he says will be called Apple Glass.
Apple Glass will pair with an iPhone and be controlled by gestures on and in front of the glasses, according to Prosser, who said he saw a video of a prototype pair. Both lenses will reportedly have displays and there will also be a lidar sensor in the frames. Prosser added that Apple Glass are meant to look similar to a typical pair of glasses and likely won’t feature a camera.
Apple Glass will reportedly start at $499, plus the cost of prescription lenses. Prosser said Apple originally wanted to reveal the smart glass as a “one more thing” surprise during it’s next iPhone launch, but the announcement could be pushed to 2021 due to the coronavirus.
Apple is also working on wireless headset for both AR and VR, sources told CNET in 2018, that was slated to be released sometime this year. But the coronavirus pandemic has created supply chain issues in China and a slowdown in manufacturing and purchasing for a number of high-profile tech giants, including Apple and Samsung.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has indicated the company is preparing for a big future in AR, saying it’s a technology that’s potentially as important as the iPhone. Apple unleashed a number of AR tools at its WWDC developer conference last year, including a whole AR-making toolkit called Reality Composer.
Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
