Recently The Information published a sketch of what these glasses would look like, which designer Antonio de Rosa has turned these into interesting renders.
Before going into the design of this device, it is worth clarifying one point. Initially, we thought that Apple Glass would be glasses for common use that we could wear on the street and in which we would receive notifications, see maps, etc. This is Apple’s plan, but the development steps have been reversed.
We all assumed that we would first see a light version of Apple Glass, with some simple interactions; Then a more powerful second-generation, more detached from the iPhone and with augmented reality; And, in a third-generation, we would go further with autonomy, computing power, etc. This is the path followed by the development of the Apple Watch, a development that, although it hurts to admit it, has caused many developers, not seeing the possibilities of the device at the beginning, are not providing the apps that our watch could enjoy.
Apple has reversed the direction of development. A first generation of very high performance that, as technology advances, may become mainstream.
That is why Apple seems to have decided to turn the order of development around. First, standalone virtual reality glasses, with the power of an M1, with the full autonomy of an iPhone, with mini OLED screens; And then, with the ecosystem of apps created, a lower-priced version, with similar features and less hardware required, a version for everyone.
So the renders we see in this article belong to augmented or virtual reality glasses that we expect to cost around $3,000. A device with 12 cameras, 8K screens, and eye-tracking technology.
This could be the first Apple Glass
Antonio De Rosa has produced these renders based on a drawing published by The Information made by a person with knowledge of the development of the device. In the renders, we see a device with a kind of fully opaque front display that we keep fixed on the head with a quote slightly reminiscent of the design of the AirPods Max headband as well as an Apple Watch strap.
Between the glasses and our face, a foam, which could well be the same as that of the ear pads of these headphones, ensures that the glasses fit and that there is no light leakage. The device has several cameras on the front and sensors on the sides. If anything can be missed in this design, it is an audio source. It is possible, however, that these glasses are intended to be used with AirPods.
The glasses also feature an on/off button very similar to the Apple Watch and could, although not reflected in this render, include a digital crown in the style of the watch and AirPods Max.
Recall that recently Dan Riccio, Apple executive, has been put in charge of the Apple Glass team. In a move in which he hands over the baton of the company’s hardware division, Riccio goes on to oversee development that, in Tim Cook’s words, will be as big a revolution as the original iPhone was.
