Apple's Beats brand in April unveiled the Powerbeats Pro, a redesigned wire-free version of its popular fitness-oriented Powerbeats earbuds.
Apple Supplier Quanta Computer Teams Up With Lumus to Make Lenses for Augmented Reality Smart Glasses
Apple manufacturing partner Quanta Computer has teamed up with Israeli-based augmented reality company Lumus to manufacture lenses for smart glasses, reports Bloomberg.
Lumus designs displays for AR glasses and will use Quanta for manufacturing purposes. In an interview with Bloomberg, Lumus CEO Ari Grobman said Quanta, which led a $45 million investment in Lumus in 2016, will also be able to produce AR lenses for other tech companies.
Totem headset from VRvana, the virtual reality company Apple recently purchased
The partnership will result in more affordable lenses for wearable augmented reality products, lowering the overall cost for future products. "Quanta has suggested that full AR headsets would be priced for less than the cost of a high-end cell phone. That's a big deal," Grobman told Bloomberg.
It's not clear if Quanta and Lumus are working with Apple on a future augmented reality headset or smart glasses, but it is a possibility as rumors suggest Apple has a wearable augmented reality product in the works.
The latest rumors indicate Apple is developing an AR headset with a dedicated display, a built-in processor, and a reality operating system called "rOS." Apple is still in the prototyping phase and is exploring different input methods like touch panels, voice activation, head gestures, and more, and it is exploring the types of applications where such a product could be used.
Apple has an aggressive timeline for its augmented reality headset and is aiming to finish development by 2019 ahead of a 2020 release, but there could be delays and changes to the product as work continues.
Lumus designs displays for AR glasses and will use Quanta for manufacturing purposes. In an interview with Bloomberg, Lumus CEO Ari Grobman said Quanta, which led a $45 million investment in Lumus in 2016, will also be able to produce AR lenses for other tech companies.
The partnership will result in more affordable lenses for wearable augmented reality products, lowering the overall cost for future products. "Quanta has suggested that full AR headsets would be priced for less than the cost of a high-end cell phone. That's a big deal," Grobman told Bloomberg.
It's not clear if Quanta and Lumus are working with Apple on a future augmented reality headset or smart glasses, but it is a possibility as rumors suggest Apple has a wearable augmented reality product in the works.
The latest rumors indicate Apple is developing an AR headset with a dedicated display, a built-in processor, and a reality operating system called "rOS." Apple is still in the prototyping phase and is exploring different input methods like touch panels, voice activation, head gestures, and more, and it is exploring the types of applications where such a product could be used.
Apple has an aggressive timeline for its augmented reality headset and is aiming to finish development by 2019 ahead of a 2020 release, but there could be delays and changes to the product as work continues.
Related Roundup: Apple Glasses
[ 28 comments ]
Top Rated Comments
(View all)
22 months ago
Why does the article use a VR headset for the picture? I get that they purchased a VR company, but AR and VR are not the same...
22 months ago
I’m not saying AR doesn’t have potential, because it does. Just like VR.
People incorrectly compare VR and AR and try to shorn horn each together.
I know exactly what VR is. I have an Oculus. There are things that oculus / VR do extremely well, and other things, best left to AR.
Both VR and AR are in their infancy, and have a lot of potential and growth.
Don’t compare 3D glasses to VR. Not the same category. VR is a lot more useful and immersive.
I’m looking forward to both, especially AR Glasses. They will be useful than on AR on a phone.
People incorrectly compare VR and AR and try to shorn horn each together.
I know exactly what VR is. I have an Oculus. There are things that oculus / VR do extremely well, and other things, best left to AR.
Both VR and AR are in their infancy, and have a lot of potential and growth.
Don’t compare 3D glasses to VR. Not the same category. VR is a lot more useful and immersive.
I’m looking forward to both, especially AR Glasses. They will be useful than on AR on a phone.
Actually, Augmented Reality has tremendous potential, I think even more so than VR. Augmented reality has a huge number of potential applications in the industrial world, where melding reality with simulation can help workers perform complex tasks with little training. As an example, in a utility setting, a worker can drive up to a substation that has a control system failure, don a pair of augmented reality glasses which would link to the truck's GPS and cellular network system. The system then senses where the worker is through GPS, then uploads documentation and video to the worker's backpack computer and headset. The worker can then go to the control panel, and without even being fully trained on the repair job, have everything they need at their fingertips -- and eyeballs -- to help them complete the repair quickly and safely. They can even talk remotely to tech support reps through their headset to help them with more complex repairs.
Virtual reality has a tougher future. I'm looking at them like I looked at 3D glasses for TVs. Cool, but not particularly necessary. VR makes what you're looking at seem more real, and provides immersion, but they still can't push past the need for your own body motion to meet up with the visual immersion. Doom VR is a good example. Shooting everything you see is cool when you're in the world, but the running around and pushing on things is still a missing sensation. On top of that, the resolution is still lacking, and the screen-door effect is very noticeable. Until the visuals become crystal clear, even visual immersion leaves one still connected to the real "outside" world.
I'm thinking we'll see a number of VR glasses sitting in the cabinet, gathering dust alongside the old 3D glasses very soon. But AR has a very promising future ahead of it.
22 months ago
I'm a wait and see on the uses for AR/VR
Perhaps too many are for this to ever take off.
22 months ago
Does anyone really want to put this bulky headpiece on?
If nobody can design a very slim device that looks futuristic, then I’m definitely out.
If nobody can design a very slim device that looks futuristic, then I’m definitely out.
[ Read All Comments ]
Twelve South today announced the all-new Journal for iPad Pro, a new leather case made specifically for the 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models.
Journal for iPad Pro includes a built-in...
There are quite a few discounts on the MacBook Air going on this week, including models from late 2018 and mid 2019. Sales can be found at Best Buy and Amazon, with as much as $350 off...
Chase Bank today announced that it will be shutting down its Chase Pay app for iOS and Android in early 2020, at which point the QR code-based payment service will no longer be available for use in...
Apple has just launched an account on Twitter dedicated to its new credit card, which went live for customers in the U.S on Tuesday.
The official account, which goes by the handle...
Non-profit organization Girls Who Code today announced plans to begin offering a new Swift coding tutorial option for its upcoming 6th to 12th grade clubs as part of Apple’s ongoing Everyone Can Code...
Netflix today introduced a new "Latest" section to its service, which is designed to highlight newly released titles and movies and TV shows that are coming soon.
According to Variety,...
Struggling movie ticket subscription service MoviePass stored thousands of customer card numbers and personal credit cards in a database that was not protected with a password, reports TechCrunch.
...
While it has yet to be announced, we're likely just three weeks away from Apple's annual September event at Steve Jobs Theater, where the company is expected to unveil new iPhone and Apple...
