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You might not need prescription lens inserts for future Apple Vision products

You might not need prescription lens inserts | Illustrative image of inside of VR headset

Vision Pro isn’t large enough to accommodate eyeglasses, so wearers will need prescription lens inserts instead. But that might not always be the case: A new Apple patent describes a way to electrically adjust the displays to suit your vision.

The system Apple describes is done dynamically, so it can effectively match a different prescription for each eye, and also allow switching the same device between multiple users with different prescriptions …

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Vision Pro weight still concerns Apple; prescription lenses a headache for company – Bloomberg

Vision Pro weight | Headset being used for photo editing

Mark Gurman’s latest newsletter says that Apple remains concerned about the Vision Pro’s weight and is working on making the next generation of the headset lighter.

Gurman also describes the difficulties the company is facing in dealing with the prescription lenses that will be needed for many customers …

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Apple Glasses Digital Crown shown in newly-granted patent

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A newly-granted patent published today for an Apple Glasses Digital Crown design clearly shows a device very much along the lines of what we’re eventually expecting to see, as the company moves its AR wearables ambitions beyond bulky headsets.

The illustration shows how a Digital Crown could be used to cycle through different overlays available on the glasses, ranging from video content to weather data …

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Apple Glasses won’t face competition from Google Iris smart glasses

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While Vision Pro is getting all the headlines at the moment, it’s likely that a future Apple Glasses device will be the one to turn wearable AR into a mass-market product. Apple was set to face competition from a product codenamed Google Iris, but a new report says that the search giant has now abandoned work on the device.

Project Iris was first reported some 18 months ago, and unlike the ill-fated Google Glass product, it did seem to be something people might actually be happy to wear …

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Reality Pro headset significantly compromised; top execs skeptical; Apple selling it at cost

Reality Pro headset significantly compromised | Mockup under Apple Reality wording

A new report on the upcoming Apple Reality Pro AR/VR headset says that the device is significantly compromised, compared to the company’s original vision for the device.

It also says that some top Apple execs are skeptical about the potential of the product and are distancing themselves from it. The report – based on multiple sources close to the project – said that Apple will be selling it almost at cost, in contrast to the high margins it expects from other products …

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Will ex-Apple designer’s Humane ‘Star Trek comm badge’ be better than Apple Glasses?

Humane 'Star Trek comm badge' demo

I know, I know: I’m comparing Humane’s unreleased product with another that hasn’t even been officially confirmed to be in the works. But another way of asking the question is: What, if anything, will ever replace the iPhone?

Apple reportedly believes that it will be some form of augmented reality device, likely the long-rumored Apple Glasses – while two former Apple execs have demonstrated their own vision for a smartphone replacement: a device which has been widely compared to a Star Trek comm badge …

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Apple Glasses launch could be as early as 2026 – unlikely Kuo report

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An unlikely report from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggests that the Apple Glasses launch could come as early as 2026 or 2027.

While the emphasis of the report is that Apple Glasses won’t be mass-produced before these dates, the idea that the product could be just three or four years out seems implausible based on what we’re expecting …

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Apple Glasses launch is still years away, and Xiaomi shows us why

Apple Glasses launch is still years away | Xiaomi AR smartglasses

After years of speculation, Apple’s Reality Pro headset is expected to debut at WWDC in June. But an Apple Glasses launch is likely still years away, and the Xiaomi Wireless AR Smart Glasses have just given us a very good understanding of the reason for this.

While the role expected to be performed by Apple Glasses is technically achievable today, we’re nowhere near the kind of form factor we’d expect from an Apple product …

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Apple Glasses Accessibility features could be a huge benefit, suggests disability campaigner

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Apple Glasses Accessibility features could see the long-rumored devices make a huge difference to the lives of those with disabilities.

The point was made by Colin Hughes, the disability campaigner who recently shared the ways in which Apple tech allows him to live a more independent life despite almost no use of his limbs …

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Meta Quest Pro headset revealed as it was left in hotel room; will launch ahead of Apple headset

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The Meta Quest Pro headset is set to launch next month, and it’s believed to have many features in common with the upcoming Apple headset expected to be launched early next year. We already knew the name, and it now appears we know what both the device and its packaging look like, thanks to a careless employee.

A sample of the headset, its controllers, and retail packaging were left in a hotel room, bringing back memories of the time an Apple engineer left an iPhone 4 prototype in a bar

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Gurman: Apple developing three headsets, ‘Reality Pro’ to be unveiled in 2023

Apple mixed Reality AR VR headset

While people are hyped up about the Apple September event, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman is back with more information regarding the upcoming Mixed Reality headset. Gurman doesn’t expect any announcement this week about this new product category, but his Power On newsletter is full of new information about Apple’s plans.

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Oppo’s Air Glass looks every bit like an Apple Glasses prototype

Could be an Apple Glasses prototype | Oppo Air Glass

While it’s likely that only a tiny number of people within Apple Park has seen an Apple Glasses prototype, I can’t help feeling like Oppo’s Air Glass is giving us a kind of sneak preview at the likely state of play.

It still looks a long way from a finished product, but at the same time it’s a lot closer to a Glasses product than the type of clunky mixed-reality headsets we’re expecting to see first. I also think Oppo may be on the right track with one particular aspect of the design …

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VR headset market grew 240% ahead of Apple’s launch; Meta’s strategy unsustainable

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The global VR headset market grew by 241.6% year-on-year in the first quarter of this year, according to the latest market intelligence data. Virtual reality (VR) headset shipments are expected to hit 13.9M units for the year as a whole.

But next year is expected to be the crucial one for the VR and augmented reality (AR) sector, as Apple enters the market

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Metaverse Standards Forum established, without Apple

Metaverse Standards Forum | Purely decorative abstract image

The formation of a Metaverse Standards Forum has been announced, with members comprising many of the companies expected to become major players in the space. Apple, however, was not one of them, despite its work on a mixed-reality headset.

The company didn’t offer any immediate comment on this, but it’s not a complete surprise …

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Apple’s AR glasses reportedly coming late 2024 along with second-gen VR headset

There’s a lot going on when it comes to Apple’s rumored mixed reality headset, which is expected to combine both AR and VR technologies into a single device. However, at the same time, the company has also been working on new AR glasses. According to Haitong Intl Tech Research analyst Jeff Pu, Apple’s AR glasses will be announced in late 2024.

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Apple’s mixed reality headset is a slow-burn project, so a tease at WWDC is possible

Apple's mixed reality headset | Close-up of the inside of a competitor VR headset

There’s been a lot of speculation about the timing of Apple’s mixed-reality headset launch – and in particular whether the company will announce it at WWDC 2022.

The smart money seems to be saying that it won’t go on sale until next year, with some suggesting that this means no mention at WWDC. Personally, though, I don’t buy this argument …

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Apple’s virtual paper patent could see us return to a skeuomorphic world in the Apple headset

Photo shows Oculus Quest 2 headset on a desk | Apple's virtual paper patent could see us return to a skeuomorphic world

Apple has today been granted a patent for a graphical display concept it calls virtual paper, and two things struck me about it – one about its origins, the other about what it may tell us about future Apple design language.

The patent is for a visual representation of paper in three-dimensional form, which is, of course, the type of user interface most applicable to the upcoming Apple mixed-reality headset

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