Catcher Technology, a Taiwanese company that manufacturers metal casings for Apple products like iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks, will make parts for an augmented reality product, according to Nikkei Asian Review.
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Catcher chairman Allen Horng reportedly said augmented reality products "need to look good" and "be light enough to wear."
"Based on what we have learned, [new AR products] need to look good and be light enough to wear ... that makes the casings for such device very complicated to manufacture and there are still a lot of challenges to overcome currently," Catcher Chairman Allen Horng told analysts and reporters in an earnings conference on Tuesday.
Horng would not disclose which company was behind the augmented reality product, but given the comments and Catcher's relationship with Apple, the report has reignited speculation about so-called Apple Glasses.
Apple is reportedly exploring digital glasses that would connect wirelessly to iPhones and "show images and other information in the wearer's field of vision." The company supposedly has prototyped "several different kinds" of wearable augmented reality products, but a launch is still far away.
Apple CEO Tim Cook, who has repeatedly expressed a "profound interest" in augmented reality, recently said "the technology itself doesn't exist" to make the glasses "in a quality way." He said there are "huge challenges" with "the display technology required, as well as putting enough stuff around your face."
Jeff Pu, an analyst at Taipei-based Yuanta Investment Consulting, believes Apple's glasses will go on sale as soon as the end of 2019. Earlier reports mentioned 2018 as a possible timeframe, but that sounds increasingly unlikely.
Today's report marks the second time Catcher Technology has surfaced in the Apple rumor mill this week. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo on Monday said the company will supply Apple with "more complex" metal frames for iPhones launching in 2018 for the purpose of improving cellular signal and data transmission.
Top Rated Comments
Apple has a history of taking big pokes at what they don't have for sale now but then seeming to forget such messaging as soon as they roll out their versions of the ridiculed.
I have a hard time myself seeing glasses-based technology go mainstream. But, as is, I think Apple could stick their logo on the ball in a classic ball & chain and the masses would soon be struggling to get from here to there... and seemingly so very proud of it. Then "upgrading" the ball the very next year to get the slightly different colored version. Then "upgrading" the ball again the next year to get the "thinnest ball ever but with the same great weight." Then happily rolling with it when Apple decides to jettison the crucial chain portion to an accessory (upsell) item (sold separately of course). Then, buying multiple chains once Apple decides to roll out the fashion (chain) collection in a variety of colors & finishes.
1) “Apple will never do X.”
Next on deck:
2) “Okay, Apple is doing X, but people will never buy it.”
3) “Everyone buying X are sheep.”
4) “Went ahead and bought X, but *complaint about non-inclusion of outdated technology*”
5) (When next rumor comes along) “Apple was great when it did X, but now it lost its way!”
Always the same cycle every damn time.
Okay I'm done with the puns...in reality I could totally see Apple going this route if they can work out the tech. I foresee a wall of eyeglass options right near the table of watches, where you and your assigned concierge can try out different shapes, sizes, and finishes, and they custom order the glasses for you just like an optician would. The difference here is the tech built into the lenses. If the product can be developed successfully it would continue to move Apple Retail into becoming a focus (hey, another pun!) of style and personal appearance, not just tech.
...I'll hand you a dictionary.