Another week has come and gone — honestly, where is the time going? March felt like it dragged on for an eternity, but April and May just flew by! It's kind of crazy. Anyways, it's time for another From the Editor's Desk with yours truly.
The biggest takeaway from the past week is the new rumor of Apple's own augmented reality (AR) glasses, which could be dubbed "Apple Glass." According to info leaked by Jon Prosser, Apple Glass would start at $499 plus the price of your prescription if needed, and it would operate in the same manner as the first generation Apple Watch. This means that all data gets processed on your iPhone, instead of the Apple Glass working as a standalone product. Prosser is also predicting that this product gets announced in Q4 2020 or Q1 2021, with actual availability happening much later, such as Q4 2021 or Q1 2022.
Prosser has a video that has more details on Apple Glass, and claims to have seen an actual prototype. The prototype has a plastic frame, integrated LiDAR on the right temple but no other cameras, and would be compatible with wireless charging on a provided stand. Information displays in both lenses through a special UI called 'Starboard' (a play on iOS' 'Springboard') and it could be controlled via gestures from the frame or even in front of the device.
This leak is honestly pretty exciting, even though I think I may wait until the second or even third generation for these. I've wanted some smart glasses for years now, as it's always been a dream of mine to just be able to get information about the world displayed right in front of me. I was even thinking about pulling the trigger on a pair of Focals by North last year, but I decided against it because it seemed to work better with Android devices than iOS. But if Apple made some AR glasses, you'd better believe I'd be all over that! I've been using iPhones for over a decade, and I have no plans on switching, so Apple Glass would be the perfect companion to my iPhone.
But if history has taught us anything, it's the fact that Apple Glass may be similar to Apple Watch, in that it may be something to get once it hits the second or third iteration. That's because from the sound of it, Apple Glass would still require an iPhone to work, as it would process all data before relaying it to the Glasses. The first Apple Watch was innovative, but it was slow and definitely not the best. The Series 1 was slightly better, but it really started to pick up with the Series 2 and onward, so that may also be the fate of Apple Glass. Only time will tell though, but I may have a hard time resisting a purchase when these babies do come out. I am what most people consider an early adopter, after all.
But then again, this is all just a rumor, so please take it with a grain of salt. It's still exciting to think about, though.
And another big rumor in the mill is that Apple has begun production on over-ear style AirPods Studio headphones. Prosser also predicted this at some point last month, with Apple's end goal as phasing out Beats for good. While I love a good pair of over-ear headphones (I have several around the house), I'm not sure I can cough up the dough for another $350 pair of cans right now. Despite that, Apple releasing AirPods Studio would be interesting, as it shows the AirPods going from an incidental product to a full-on product line itself. Our own Joe Keller wrote a fantastic editorial about how this would be the next stage for the AirPods era, and I recommend giving it a read if you haven't already.
In other news, I got both Pride 2020 Apple Watch bands last week, and they are LIT! They pair perfectly with the new Pride 2020 watch faces, and I especially love the Rainbow Gradient for the California face (watchOS 6.2.5 and iOS 13.5 required). Now the hard part is deciding which Pride 2020 band to use every day, because I think both look amazing.
Anyways, hope you all have a great Memorial Day while staying safe and healthy. Until next week!
- Christine Romero-Chan
