Tag: augmented reality

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Mobile Syrup

There will be a gap between reveal of Apple’s AR headset and release: report

Along with revealing that Apple is rumoured to still be working on an AirPower-like wireless charger, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman also reports that the company’s augmented reality (AR) headset won’t be available to purchase immediately after its reveal.

In Gurman’s Power On newsletter, the reliable Apple leaker said that while he believes Apple will still show off the headset in 2022, but that the period of time between the reveal of the headset and its release will be significant.

Gurman goes on to say that the headset will feature “interchangeable lenses” and processing power that rivals Apple’s M1 Mac lineup. According to previous rumours, Apple’s often-rumoured AR headset is entirely standalone and won’t require being tethered to an iPhone or Mac.

“The company will likely need to work with governments globally on possible prescription lenses and partner with a bevy of manufacturers on complex technologies that neither side has shipped before,” says Gurman in Power On.

Some reports indicate Apple is working on two specific headset projects: a set of AR glasses and a more traditional AR headset.

Finally, Gurman says that he expects the pricey AR headset to be revealed in 2022 during WWDC, with a release in 2023. The gap between the reveal of Apple’s AR headset and its release is very similar to how Apple handled the rollout of the first Apple Watch.

While the Apple Watch was released in April 2015, the tech giant first showed off the wearable in September 2014. The time between reveal and release allowed Apple to build hype for the smartwatch and developers to create third-party apps for it.

Source: Bloomberg

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Mobile Syrup

Apple’s rumoured AR glasses to use M1-based chip, arrive at end of 2022

Apple’s long-rumoured augmented reality (AR) glasses will be as powerful as its Mac computers when they reportedly launch at the end of 2022.

The prediction comes from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has a decent track record when it comes to predicting future Apple products and features. Kuo shared the AR glasses prediction in a note sent to investors Friday (via CNBC).

However, the prediction shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. Apple’s been moving towards using its own silicon across basically all of its products. The iPhone and iPad use A-series chips designed by Apple, and more recently the company transitioned its Mac line from Intel’s x86 CPUs to Apple-designed M-series ARM chips.

Specifically, Kuo noted that Apple’s glasses would run on a processor based on the M1. Apple’s M1 chip impressed with its excellent performance and low power consumption. The latter would be a major benefit in something like AR glasses where size and weight are significant factors (more efficiency means Apple could shrink the batteries and thus get a smaller, lighter product).

At the same time, the high performance of an M1-based chip could help set Apple’s glasses apart from competitors by allowing the glasses to perform intensive tasks without needing to offload work to a connected smartphone.

That doesn’t mean the Apple AR glasses won’t need a connected phone — previous reports say that the glasses will require a connected iPhone. However, that connection will likely be something more like the Apple Watch, which uses its connection to the iPhone to share data rather than processing.

Kuo backed that up, writing that Apple would position the glasses as an accessory for the iPhone, not a replacement.

Augmented reality refers to technology used to overlay digital images and information over the real world. Tech enthusiasts have looked to smart glasses as the main avenue to deliver AR experiences, although many smartphones now have built-in AR capabilities. Should Apple’s glasses prove successful, it could push the market forward and encourage other companies to release their own versions of AR glasses.

Source: CNBC

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Mobile Syrup

Facebook’s AI research might one day teach you how to play drums

A new research project led by Facebook’s AI team envisions future AI tech that continually analyzes people’s lives using first-person video by capturing everything they see, hear, and do to assist them with daily tasks through, most likely, augmented Reality (AR) glasses.

The project, called Ego4D, allows AI to comprehend and interact with the environment in a first-person perspective the same way humans do. According to Facebook’s team, AI generally learns from third-person pictures and videos, but its next-generation AI will learn from recordings by stepping into your shoes.

“We brought together a consortium of 13 universities and labs across nine countries, who collected more than 2,200 hours of first-person video in the wild, featuring over 700 participants going about their daily lives,” reads Facebook’s blog post about the project. Facebook says that participants, including residents of the United Kingdom, Italy, India, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, the United States, Rwanda and Colombia, recorded videos of themselves doing daily tasks, like playing sports, shopping, gardening and more.

Beginning next month, Facebook researchers will be able to gain access to this data to develop Ego4D. According to the social network, this data is the world’s most extensive collection of unscripted first-person films.

Facebook has developed five benchmark challenges for developing smarter and more useful AI assistants, including:

  • Episodic memory: What happened when? (e.g., “Where did I leave my keys?”)
  • Forecasting: What am I likely to do next? (e.g., “Wait, you’ve already added salt to this recipe”)
  • Hand and object manipulation: What am I doing? (e.g., “Teach me how to play the drums”)
  • Audio-visual diarization: Who said what when? (e.g., “What was the main topic during class?”)
  • Social interaction: Who is interacting with whom? (e.g., “Help me better hear the person talking to me at this noisy restaurant”)

At the moment, no AI system can fulfill the tasks listed above. However, Facebook sees this type of capability as the future of AR computing with Ego4D. According to the social network, systems trained on Ego4D might one day be implemented in wearable cameras and in-home helper robots, which rely on first-person cameras to navigate their surroundings.

While the technology sounds intriguing and helpful, privacy is always an issue with projects like this, especially when it comes to Facebook. AI recording and analyzing every step a person takes effectively turns the user into a human surveillance machine.

However, according to a Facebook spokesperson (via The Verge), the project is still in its early days and “privacy safeguards” will be introduced in the future.

Source: Facebook

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Mobile Syrup

Apple’s often-rumoured VR headset could feature 3,000ppi Micro OLED display

Apple’s rumoured virtual reality/augmented reality headset could include a high-resolution micro OLED display with 3,000 pixels per inch (ppi), according to South Korean publication The Elec.

If true, this would mean the headset features one of the highest display resolutions in a VR headset yet. Previous rumours have hinted that Apple is working on two head-mounted devices, including a pair of Apple augmented reality glasses that look like regular glasses and feature built-in AR notifications and a more traditional VR/AR headset.

The Elec’s report says that Apple has requested a sample from APS Holdings, a South Korean company that uses a process called Fine Metal Mask (FMM) to create next-gen OLED displays. Apple has reportedly asked for a sample of APS’ laser patterning FMM screen that features a 3,000ppi.

“Pixel sizes in OLED panels used in smartphones and TVs range from 40 micrometers to 300 micrometers. Those in MicroOLED panel range from 4 micrometers to 20 micrometers. MicroOLED also has microseconds response time and is a likely candidate to be used for VR and augmented reality (AR) applications,” reads the Elec’s report

A previous report from The Information indicated that Apple’s VR headset will feature two 8K displays and a price tag of approximately $3,000 USD (roughly $3,799 CAD).

Though leaks regarding the VR headset’s potential release date are a little all over the place, it’s likely we won’t catch a glimpse of the rumoured devices until at least 2022.

Source: The Elec Via: MacRumors