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.

totemvrvana

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.

Related Roundup: Apple Vision Pro
Buyer's Guide: Vision Pro (Buy Now)
Related Forum: Apple Vision Pro

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Vertical Camera Feature

iPhone SE 4 Production Will Reportedly Begin Ramping Up in October

Tuesday July 23, 2024 2:00 pm PDT by
Following nearly two years of rumors about a fourth-generation iPhone SE, The Information today reported that Apple suppliers are finally planning to begin ramping up mass production of the device in October of this year. If accurate, that timeframe would mean that the next iPhone SE would not be announced alongside the iPhone 16 series in September, as expected. Instead, the report...
iPhone 17 Plus Feature

iPhone 17 Lineup Specs Detail Display Upgrade and New High-End Model

Monday July 22, 2024 4:33 am PDT by
Key details about the overall specifications of the iPhone 17 lineup have been shared by the leaker known as "Ice Universe," clarifying several important aspects of next year's devices. Reports in recent months have converged in agreement that Apple will discontinue the "Plus" iPhone model in 2025 while introducing an all-new iPhone 17 "Slim" model as an even more high-end option sitting...
Generic iPhone 17 Feature With Full Width Dynamic Island

Kuo: Ultra-Thin iPhone 17 to Feature A19 Chip, Single Rear Camera, Semi-Titanium Frame, and More

Wednesday July 24, 2024 9:06 am PDT by
Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today shared alleged specifications for a new ultra-thin iPhone 17 model rumored to launch next year. Kuo expects the device to be equipped with a 6.6-inch display with a current-size Dynamic Island, a standard A19 chip rather than an A19 Pro chip, a single rear camera, and an Apple-designed 5G chip. He also expects the device to have a...
iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Series Is Less Than Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Thursday July 25, 2024 5:43 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
icloud private relay outage

iCloud Private Relay Experiencing Outage

Thursday July 25, 2024 3:18 pm PDT by
Apple’s iCloud Private Relay service is down for some users, according to Apple’s System Status page. Apple says that the iCloud Private Relay service may be slow or unavailable. The outage started at 2:34 p.m. Eastern Time, but it does not appear to be affecting all iCloud users. Some impacted users are unable to browse the web without turning iCloud Private Relay off, while others are...

Top Rated Comments

mcdj Avatar
87 months ago
And the product will be...

iBalls.

Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AdFeCu Avatar
87 months ago
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
roboats Avatar
87 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...
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Foggydog Avatar
87 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.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dwaltwhit Avatar
87 months ago
I'm a wait and see on the uses for AR/VR
Perhaps too many are for this to ever take off.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Stella Avatar
87 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.

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.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)