Apple may launch an augmented reality headset running a custom OS by 2020

by Milen Yanachkov / Nov 08, 2017, 8:27 AM

Apple may launch an augmented reality headset running a custom OS by 2020

Apple's growing interest in augmented reality (AR) is well-established at this point, with CEO Tim Cook calling AR "a big idea like the smartphone" earlier this year, and the company making dipping its toes in the field for the first time with the launch of the ARKit framework for iOS 11. According to a new report by Bloomberg, Apple is hard at work on a standalone AR headset running a custom OS that is poised to hit the market sometime in 2020.

According to a Bloomberg source with inside connections, the company is aiming to have the tech ready by 2019 and to be ready to ship the product sometime in 2020, although nothing is set in concrete at this point. The standalone AR headset will reportedly feature a new chip and run a custom operating system based on iOS, internally dubbed "rOS" – short for "reality operating system."

Just as tvOS powers the Apple TV, macOS runs on Macs and watchOS runs on Apple Watches, "rOS" will power Apple’s AR headset. Geoff Stahl, formerly a software manager for games and graphics at Apple, is one of the directors of the "rOS" software group.

An Apple patent application showing a possible look for the rumored headset

Apple engineers are said to be currently prototyping a range of applications for use in AR, reportedly using HTC Vive headsets for testing them. According to the Bloomberg report, the company is also working on a device similar to the Gear VR that uses an iPhone, although it is being built for internal testing purposes only.

It is not yet known how users will control or interact with the AR projections, but Apple is reportedly experimenting with head gestures, Gear VR-style touch panel input, and Siri voice commands, among others. The range of AR apps that are currently being prototyped is said to include mapping and texting applications, as well as more advanced tools, such as virtual meeting rooms and 360-degree video playback.

Posts: 1409; Member since: Oct 24, 2016

Wet iDreams! P.S. Apple should first complete the Apple Car, Apple TV-set, Sapphire Display, Bezelless Phone..... and then start this one. Right?

posted on Nov 08, 2017, 10:27 AM 2

2. sgodsell

Posts: 7585; Member since: Mar 16, 2013

Their glasses only shows a single image. However even AR glasses have to work like VR glasses. Because you need to add overlaying graphics on a display(s) that feeds both eyes. So the current AR apps for an iPhone will definitely work differently when you use them on AR glasses.