According to a report by The Information, Apple is gearing up to enter a new phase in production on its fabled AR headset. Together with Foxconn Technology, the Taiwan-based contract manufacturer behind many of Apple’s mobile devices, the company is said to have entered the trial production on the AR lens portion of the device.
The report, citing a person familiar with the matter, maintains the lenses first passed the prototype stage “two months ago.”
The lenses, which are described as “semitransparent”, are said to be two years away from mass production. The Information’s source further says the AR headset itself would also likely arrive around that supposed 2022 timeframe.
Apple has likely been developing an AR headset since at least 2017, although we haven’t had anything rock solid to go on until recently. Late last year, files in the beta of iOS 13.1 were discovered that provided a clear sign that Apple is currently testing a range of stereoscopic AR headsets internally.
Apple doesn’t tend to talk about its future products, so of course there was no comment to either affirm or deny the report—or any report for that matter.
Whether the report holds true or not remains to be seen, however if the lenses are indeed headed out of R&D and are being produced in limited quantities, we can expect to see more of these sorts of ‘leaks’ (if they can be classified as such) since the supply chain represents more of opportunity for a wider dispersal of curious eyeballs. Maybe some cheeky snaps from prototype testing like we saw with Valve Index?
Or maybe the report from noted leaker Jon Prosser detailing a number of claims, including a $499 price tag, Q1 2022 launch date, and ‘Apple Glass’ naming scheme are genuine. Of course, as with all rumors and reports, we’re taking this one with a big grain of salt.