Oliver Haslam on November 12, 2019, 7:24 pm

iPad Pro With 3D Sensor Could Be Released In 2020, Followed By AR / VR Headset And Glasses In 2022-23 [Report]

Yesterday saw the revelation from The Information that an Apple AR headset had been confirmed in an internal presentation alongside a future AR glasses device. Now Bloomberg has also chimed in, this time saying that a new iPad Pro will bring similar functionality next year.

The report claims that an iPad Pro refresh could come as soon as the first half of 2020 with a dual-lens system allowing for advanced AR capabilities. There will also be a “small hole for the 3D system,” according to the report.

Much of this fits with previous claims by analyst Ming-Chi Kuo who had previously said that a new iPad Pro with multiple cameras was in the works.

The new 3D sensor is believed to be the big deal here, with it being described as a “more advanced version of the Face ID sensor” that we currently have on iPhones and the iPad Pro.

Bloomberg notes that there are lots of engineers currently working on Apple’s AR initiatives, with around 1,000 believed to be in the team. That also seems to fit The Information’s report which said the 1000-seater Steve Jobs Theater was used for the internal presentation.

Apple has about 1,000 engineers working on the AR and VR initiative, which is led by vice president Mike Rockwell, Bloomberg News has reported. The multi-disciplinary team is part of Apple’s hardware engineering division, but has its own leadership with executives who have worked on Apple’s gaming software system, earlier iPhone hardware, software engineering and manufacturing.

After months of rumors it looks like we might finally be able to put some meat on the bones of AR claims. Now we just have to wait for something to ship.

(Source: Bloomberg)