Fri, 10:22 a.m. Tips & Reports The intensive work on an Apple headset probably began sometime in 2015/2016, because that was when the project first made itself felt in an accident report. Even before that, however, strange job postings could be found in which Apple was looking for specialists in VR, 3D surfaces and other technologies that fell within the topic of such a product. However, if you look at the chronology of when Apple clearly filed patents specific to eyewear, the early considerations go back a long way. Josh Withers got himself in his blog done the work of listing all major developments and linking them to public statements or patents.
1995/1996: Apple shows VR glasses – as a very simple concept
While inventors, by the 1980s at the latest, were thinking about how to attach a computer directly to the head, Apple’s first study dates back to 1995. “Volumetric Hyper Reality” is described there as the holy grail of the 21st century – by displaying additional Fade in objects that incorporate the environment, creating semi-artificial worlds. In 1996 there was even a prototype that could be strapped around the head. This VR headset could even be seen at the “Stereoscopic Displays and Applications Conference”, but unfortunately there is no picture or video material. Of course, the time was not yet ripe to offer even the slightest bit of computing power to put Mixed Reality into practice.
2007: Connect headset to iPod?
For a few years, things got pretty quiet about the genre in question, although Apple seemed to be researching stereoscopic displays, but without any concrete product intentions. In 2007, Apple filed an interesting patent that described a “head mounted display” that could be connected to an iPod. In 2012, protective letters also followed, which discussed 3D surfaces for external iOS devices.
2015/2016: Apple promotes AR to an important topic
From then on, the number of headset-specific patents rose significantly, because Apple not only submitted more and more applications, but also began in 2015 to buy up companies specializing in such technologies. Starting in 2016, Tim Cook began repeating that AR is “really cool”. By that time, the headset team had reportedly grown to several hundred employees, and in 2017 Zeiss was brought on board as a partner.
3D navigation in space, patent 2016
2018/2019: Suppliers work together, first internal demos in front of spectators
Intensive talks with suppliers began in 2018, and the first Apple internal presentation of a pre-production model is said to have taken place in 2019. At that ominous secret keynote in front of 1000 spectators, it was presented how Apple imagines the AR/VR future and what the status of the headset project is. At that point, Apple was still confident that it would be able to offer normal glasses in 2023, which would be available as an additional product alongside the headset.
2020 to 2022: Unclear course
The reports from 2020 to 2022 were characterized by internal struggles over the course of development. Supposedly, there were several fixes, one of which was to stop pursuing “computer glasses” with fashionable designs. At the same time, the technical requirements delayed the market launch considerably, because the goals set required much more time and testing effort than expected.
2023: Vision Pro is shown to the public
The WWDC 2023 finally clarified how the headset called “Apple Vision Pro” should work. A few questions are still unanswered, numerous software components have not been fully developed and complex tasks have to be solved – but we now know where the journey should (initially) lead. In any case, it will be exciting to see how much added value the headset will really bring next year and whether Apple can actually fill a financially struggling industry with life.
Supplementary Articles:
26.06.23 ·
Bloomberg: Vision Pro with a lot of construction sites – Apple’s plans for the market launch
22.06.23 ·
Vision Pro: Bigger features Apple hasn’t shown yet but has on the roadmap
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