Apple AR glasses supplier will reportedly make lenses for Meta's Oculus Quest 3

As many of you may probably know by now, Meta (formerly Facebook) has been working on changing its brand to reflect more than just a social media platform: it is oriented itself towards building a metaverse, pretty much a virtual reality world. Now, reputable industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has something to say about the supplier for Meta's VR headset, Oculus Quest 3, reports AppleInsider.

Apple's AR supplier also has orders for Meta's Oculus VR headset

It seems there will be a delay with the highly-anticipated Apple's AR headset, at least according to Ming-Chi Kuo. This delay is said to help lens supplier Genius, who has received a lot of orders for Meta's Oculus.

Kuo says that the delay with the long-rumored Apple's AR headset(it is now expected to have been pushed back to the end of this year) will benefit Genius. The company is one of the two firms that Apple has ordered pancake/Fresnel lenses from; however, Genuis has reportedly a smaller production yield in comparison to its rival, Young Optics.

Kuo reportedly stated in a note to investors that "Apple's AR/MR production delays will help Genius close the gap in production yields for pancake lenses with Young Optics." Pancake lenses are a new technology for AR headsets that should make it possible for the device to be more compact and therefore, more comfortable for its wearer.

Kuo also stated that Young Optics has the NPI (New Product Introduction) order from Apple, but the analyst believes Genuis may become an equal supplier, thanks to the delay in Apple's plans for the headset. He also estimates that in the best-case scenario, Genuis could end up with half the orders from Apple.

On the other hand, Genuis has reportedly received a big order from Meta for its new "high-end VR" device, which we expect to be the upgrade to its Oculus VR devices, and more specifically, the Oculus Quest 3. What's more, is that Meta is expected to release the Oculus Quest 3 in the middle of the second half of 2022. Additionally, it seems the estimated shipments for the device amount to 1-2 million units in 2022.

According to this information, it may be possible for the Oculus Quest 3 to see the light of announcement and release way before Apple's AR headset. On the latter, there is some other information detailing we may be seeing a prototype of the AR device by Apple during WWDC 2022, but it won't reportedly be ready for production at that time.

Are AR/VR headsets going to replace our traditional way of using technology?

With Meta's recent change and its grand plans for the metaverse, and many companies now working on VR/AR headsets (including Apple), we can't help but ask ourselves whether this will actually be a big change in the way we operate technology. The metaverse is expected to be a virtual reality world where we can communicate and do almost everything. And when Apple joins in with its AR glasses (whatever they end up being called), it could start a wider change in the industry.

Could this technology be able to replace smartphones? We are left wondering.

Read more:AR is the future of smartphones, starting with Apple's AR glasses

What else do we expect from Apple AR headset?

The rumor mill has been long-going in regards to Apple's AR headset and many patents and leaked information have been painting a picture of what to expect when Apple finally unveils the product. These glasses have been in development since at least early 2017.

You will reportedly be able to use them to answer calls, text messages, check notifications, and do many other traditionally smartphone-related activities.