Oliver Haslam on November 12, 2019, 1:47 am

Apple AR Headset With 3D Scanning Could Be Released By 2022, Sleeker Version Coming 2023

We’ve been hearing almost constant rumors that Apple is working on some form of AR headset for months now. Now, we have the closest thing to confirmation that we’ve seen yet, after The Information reported that an internal Apple presentation outed the product.

And not only did it out the AR headset, the fact that it will soon be followed by a sleeker version of the product.

The event is said to have taken place at the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple Park. That’s the same venue that Apple uses to announce iPhones and is said to hold around 1,000 people. That means that quite a number of people now know what Apple is working on. And at least one seems to have been speaking with The Information about it.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that we’re going to have to wait until at least 2022 before any of this is announced publicly.

Apple is aiming to release an augmented-reality headset in 2022 and a sleeker pair of AR glasses by 2023, The Information has learned.

Apple executives discussed the timelines, which haven’t been previously reported, in an internal presentation to employees at the company’s Cupertino, California, campus in October, according to people familiar with the matter. Apple vice president Mike Rockwell, who heads the team responsible for Apple’s AR and virtual reality initiatives, led the meeting, which included new details about the design and features of the AR headset, these people said. The product timetables run counter to recent analyst and media reports that said an Apple AR device could arrive as early as next year.

Interestingly, Apple plans on adding its usual flair to proceedings. The glasses, for example, will automatically dim when the wearer is using AR as a way to inform those around them. Not just that, the meeting discussed planned features such as “3d scanning” and “advanced human detection”.

With the headset not coming until 2022 and the glasses not until a year later there is still plenty of time for all of this to change. It’s also more than enough time for product leaks and information to come out, so we’ll be keeping our ears to the ground for that, too.