MAGIC EYE

Apple’s AR ‘computer goggles’ that let you see 3D apps and games in real life ‘coming this year’

Charlotte Edwards
Science

Published: 10:10, 11 Mar 2019
Updated: 11:25, 11 Mar 2019

APPLE could start producing iPhone powered augmented reality (AR) glasses later this year, according to a respected industry analyst.

Rumours about the highly anticipated AR product have been circulating amongst Apple fans for years.

Here's a Sun Online mock-up revealing what a pair of Apple AR glasses could look like

There have been multiple reports suggesting that Apple is planning to release AR glasses by the end of 2019 or early 2020.

However, the tech giant has actually never confirmed or acknowledged the existence of such a product.

Well-known Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is now predicting that the glasses will go into production this year and could be launched as an accessory to the iPhone.

Kuo has a good track record when it comes to predicting what Apple will do next, making him one of the best analysts in the industry.

Apple has never actually confirmed the existence of the productCredit: Getty - Contributor

Kuo has also predicted that the AR product will have its own display but the processing, networking and tracking duties will be down to the iPhone connected to the glasses.

If the glasses were to be this heavily reliant on an iPhone then it could ensure that the product is relatively light weight and easy to wear.

The last AR product produced by Apple was the ARkit, which was released in 2017.

ARkit was Apple's first augmented reality software and was designed to allow developers to build very detailed AR experiences for iPhone and iPad.

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Other big tech companies which have released AR glasses include Snapchat, which launched the Snap Spectacles 2.0 last year that have a similar design to the first version, with higher resolution video recording and the ability to take pictures under water.

Microsoft has also launched its HoloLens 2 smart-glasses. These glasses are largely pitched at industry professionals, such as surgeons, and are available to pre-order now.

Google started selling a pair of AR glasses called Google Glass in 2014 but this product was largely unsuccessful and faced criticism and legal action because of privacy and safety issues.

Google stopped producing its smart-glasses prototype in 2015 and announced that the Google Glass Enterprise Edition would be available in 2017, although this product is not widely available.