Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

On August 30, a big change is taking place in hardware, which may have something to do with helmets or smart glasses. In response to this change, while attracting developers, Apple is building two different hardware platforms at the same time.

Many people have different views on what this upcoming change related to some kind of "reality" is, whether it is virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), extended reality (extended reality,ER) or hybrid reality (mixed reality,XR).

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg (Mark Zuckerberg) has changed the company's name from Facebook to Meta and has included all of these realities in what he sees as a "meta-universe". This marketing plan has led many to see Zuckerberg as the leader of this new trend, or at least the thought leader.

According to foreign media reports, Zuckerberg insists that VR represents the future, while Apple thinks it is AR. Confusingly, Apple, the main driver of the hardware platform, is expected to launch VR products that support AR next year.

There is a lot of fear, uncertainty, doubt and hype around the so-called meta-universe, so it is important to stop and understand what is happening now and what may happen in the future. Technology columnist Mike Elgan (Mike Elgan) believes:

There is no meta-universe, and there will never be one. Meta-universe is actually a shared, open VR / AR version of the Internet.

Basic end-user devices for VR and AR experiences can be divided into three categories: 1) bulky VR helmets for indoor use only, 2) clunky AR helmets for indoor use only, and 3) everyday AR glasses that look like ordinary glasses.

Of the above three categories, the first two will provide exciting high-quality experiences, but will always be niche products in specific areas. For example, video game consoles or drones, while popular, are not the core of most people's lives.

The third category is AR glasses, which can be worn all day in all social situations, and they are likely to replace smartphones as everyone's must-have core device. This kind of device will revolutionize human culture and change the way we live, work and think. It is believed that within 10 years, AR glasses will become more important in work and life than smartphones.

Knowing these trends, what is Apple's plan to deal with them?

Apple now has hundreds of employees actively building two separate hardware platforms that will run a mobile operating system called realityOS. The first platform is the helmet and the second is smart glasses.

Apple's helmet, which is expected to ship next year, is essentially VR hardware that supports AR, although it also supports VR. For AR, this means that the camera will capture the user's physical environment views, which will be presented to the user in real time and enhanced with audio and visual information. It has been reported that Apple's killer app on this platform will be a virtual conference based on digital avatars. The hardware will be as powerful and expensive as a personal computer (at least $2000) and will have two 8K displays, one for each eyeball.

Apple's AR glasses will be equipped with sensors to map 3D space and monitor users' identity, eye focus and other factors. Spatial audio will help create the illusion that virtual objects exist in physical space. The glasses look a lot like regular glasses and will support the use of prescription lenses, which may be shipped in 2025. Little is known about the final configuration of the glasses product, and Apple may not have finalized the final specifications.

Elgan believes that in these two products, glasses are likely to trigger a new revolution, replacing smartphones as the central platform for cultural change.

Tim Cook, Apple's chief executive, has repeatedly stressed that the company believes the AR is Apple's future. So why build two platforms at the same time? Why develop VR devices? Why doesn't Apple just wait for the smart glasses technology to mature before entering the market? In the words of former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer (Steve Ballmer), it's all about attracting developers.

Apple's first helmet is likely to be launched primarily as a proof of concept, providing a reference for the upcoming revolutionary glasses. They may compete in a crowded market for short-term indoor use, and these devices actually provide an exciting experience, but they are too bulky and restrictive for most businesses or consumers.

However, such helmets will give developers a reason to accept and stick to ARkit. They will enable enterprise developers to build customized applications that encourage niche markets to use realityOS for event marketing and experiential marketing. They will also show the world Apple's plans and create a more secure environment for the upcoming Apple glasses. The glasses are likely to become mainstream and become a platform to replace smartphones.

Many expect Apple to call the helmet "Apple Reality". The best-case scenario for Apple is to launch AR glasses within three years, when there will be thousands of eye-catching apps running on them. Truly convincing applications take a lot of time to develop, while enterprises need years of testing, development, training, and integration. As a stopgap measure, Apple Reality will provide Apple with the time it needs.

Will this strategy work? It is not known yet. Apple has a good track record, but it will depend on what Apple actually develops and what competitors do. Apple has a chance to lead the third major industry revolution (the other two are personal computers and smartphones). But whether Apple succeeds or fails, the AR glasses will almost certainly lead to the third big change.

Why will smart glasses change the world? When people can wear smart glasses like ordinary glasses anytime, anywhere, it may enter the so-called "enhanced society". For example, when you read an e-book or view a document on a web page or on a laptop, every element you see is a portal for relevant information. They can be copied, pasted, shared, captured, indexed, copied, sampled, saved, and searched.

Researchers at the University of Surrey have released a new version of their next Generation Paper (NGP) project. With low-cost conductive paper, physical books can provide enhanced content through simple gestures. For example, if you flip the paper, the context information will be displayed on the nearby device. The idea will be realized by advanced AR glasses, which will be able to recognize text and provide any type of contextual information through gestures, without the need for special paper, smartphones or tablets. Contextual information will be suspended on this book.

Cameras and other sensors, coupled with artificial intelligence (AI), will enable smart glasses to recognize books, as well as symbols, landmarks, objects, people, and so on, and a QR code will tell the glasses where to place virtual images and information. The big shift brought about by AR is that all things, not just digital things, can get digital attributes. Knowledge about things seems to be more and more stored in the things themselves, rather than in people's minds or on the Internet.

While people want to know how smart glasses will support what we do on smartphones, it's important to remember that smartphones have also achieved things that haven't been done before, such as posting photos on social media. Smart glasses will turn the whole world into our own personal AI enhanced computer, which will have capabilities we can't imagine yet, while supporting behaviors we've never thought of.

Apple cannot afford to step back into second place in the next technology area that changes culture, and it is building two platforms: one to attract developers and the other to deal with big changes.

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