Patent Describes How Apple's AR Glasses Would Work

Rumors have suggested that Apple is developing an AR headset or a pair of smart glasses, which are said to be released around 2020 or 2021. ...

Rumors have suggested that Apple is developing an AR headset or a pair of smart glasses, which are said to be released around 2020 or 2021. No one really knows what is it gonna look like, but Apple’s newly granted patent application should give you a general impression, as it describes a "method for representing points of interest in a view of a real environment on a mobile device." (Via AppleInsider)

Although the word "Apple Glasses" is not explicitly mentioned, the patent does describe a "head-mounted display." Similar to other AR products, it overlays computer-generated virtual information onto a real-world view. More specifically, the headset will be implemented with a camera that can identify and annotate points of interest and other objects.

One of the patented illustrations shows the head-mounted screen showing some buildings, each with a superimposed label, and the fingers can interact with it. In another example, the iPhone gives details of a point of interest.

The "Apple Glasses" device in the illustration is like the ski goggle, but whether Apple is developing smart glasses like Google Glass or a HoloLens-like headset is not known. Bloomberg previously reported that Apple's device will use a customized iOS-based "rOS" system, which is said to be able to communicate wirelessly with the iPhone.