Apple would be ready to present smart glasses by the end of 2020, but the market launch could only take place in 2022
They will be announced in the last quarter of 2020 or in the first quarter of 2021 at the latest, based on the evolution of the coronavirus emergency, and will be available in the first quarter of 2022 at the latest, but there is already a first working prototype and someone has it as well seen. We are talking about the Apple Glass, the Apple smart glasses that we have been talking about for years.
Front Page Tech YouTuber Jon Prosser saw this first prototype and communicated the first information about the next Apple product to the world (” One More Thing “, as will be announced). As far as Jon Prosser is concerned, the Apple Glass will be very different from the first real smart glasses launched on the market, in the very distant 2013: the Google Glass. Unlike Google glasses, in fact, Apple glasses will seem in all respects of normal glasses and may even have prescription lenses. At the basis of the design, the choice is the technical one: the Apple Glass will not be real smart glasses but little more than displays.
Apple Glass: how they will be
According to Jon Prosser, Apple glasses will not work if not connected to an iPhone, because they will not have many integrated electronics. They will basically be an add-on to the iPhone, a bit like already seen with the first Apple Watch. The prototype seen by the YouTuber was plastic, but the materials and design are not yet the definitive ones. Interestingly, the Apple Glass will not be equipped with a camera , to avoid privacy problems, but will have a LiDAR (i.e. a laser radar) mounted on the right rod. They will recharge wirelessly, placed upside down, on a stand for wireless charging. The displays will be on both lenses and there will be a new user interface to control them, called ” Starboard“, Which will respond to the gesture. To the huge disappointment of fashion lovers, there won’t be a version alone, because the displays won’t be able to work with coloured lenses.
Apple Glass: when they come out and how much they cost
Jon Prosser does not yet know when Apple’s smart glasses will arrive on the market, but he knows how much they will cost: $ 499, to which will be added the cost of the iPhone to manage them and of any prescription lenses for those with vision problems. The time window for the launch depends a lot on the Covid-19 situation: in theory, Apple would be ready already at the end of 2020, but would not be willing to make a presentation online and without an audience.
