Apple has reportedly laid out its roadmap for the iPad Pro and Apple Glasses.
According to Bloomberg, the company will reportedly start upping its augmented reality game next year with the launch of a new iPad Pro featuring dual-cameras for the first time.
From there, Apple will launch an AR headset and glasses in the years that follow.
Bloomberg has reported that Apple will release a new iPad Pro in the first half of next year with a dual-lens camera setup for the first time, as well as a new “hole” for a 3D system.
It’s expected that the new iPad Pro will offer time-of-flight 3D sensors for the very first time.
Though previous rumors suggested a new iPad Pro would come with a triple-lens camera, the new report from Bloomberg suggests a dual-lens camera setup is more likely.
Next year’s iPhones, Apple’s first to feature 5G connectivity, will also offer 3D sensor technology.
This new technology is the “centerpiece” of Apple’s new AR initiatives, offering a more robust version of Face ID and allowing Apple to combine its new augmented reality ideas into one product.
The company is expected to launch its first AR headset in 2021 focusing on gaming and watching video content and will follow up the device in 2023 with a pair of AR glasses.
“Apple has about 1,000 engineers working on the AR and VR initiative, which is led by vice president Mike Rockwell,” Bloomberg News said in its report.
“The multi-disciplinary team is part of Apple’s hardware engineering division but has its own leadership with executives who have worked on Apple’s gaming software system, earlier iPhone hardware, software engineering, and manufacturing.”
“The team also has ex-NASA engineers, former game developers, and graphics experts. It is based in a nondescript area of Sunnyvale, California, not far from Apple’s main campus in Cupertino.”
According to some reports, Apple had hoped to launch its first augmented reality headset this year but ultimately decided to push it back to better improve its technology.
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