Apple is reportedly working on a pair of connected augmented reality in collaboration with German precision optics specialist, Carl Zeiss, according to the website 9to5Mac.
The rumor comes from American blogger Robert Scoble, who reportedly spoke to Carl Zeiss employees at the recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. They apparently confirmed that Apple is working on a pair of lightweight augmented reality glasses. Although the information remains unconfirmed, it isn’t the first time that the Cupertino tech firm has been linked to such a project.
“A Zeiss employee confirmed the rumors that Apple and Carl Zeiss AG are working on a light pair of augmented reality/mixed reality glasses that may be announced this year,” Scoble wrote in a Facebook post. “I thought it was next year but now that I saw this I believe it will happen this year.”
In fact, Bloomberg reported in 2016 that Apple was developing this kind of device.
In reality, the augmented reality glasses are likely to function via connection to an iPhone. The Apple CEO has already spoken up as a greater believer in augmented reality technology than in virtual reality, adding further weight to the project’s existence, even if it remains pure speculation. Robert Scoble even claims that the product could land as soon as 2017. Note that Carl Zeiss has already developed and launched a virtual reality headset, the VR One, which connects to a smartphone (Android or iOS).
However, not everyone believes the claims that Apple will release glasses. Cult of Mac adds “Apple needs a new hit product, but AR glasses in 2017 is so farfetched its sad that people are acting like Scoble’s rumor is legit. It’s still unclear what features Apple’s smart glasses will pack to make them indispensable, or when we might actually see them.”
We will see what Apple delivers in 2017!
