Don't hold your breath for Apple's AR Glasses

With WWDC 2023 just around the corner, many are awash with expectations about the Apple Reality Pro headset. It signals Apple's first foray into the world of AR or VR headsets, and many are hoping it can pull off an iPhone moment for AR technology, bringing it into the homes and lives of new users.

But you may remember another AR product teased by Apple in the past. Apple Glass is smaller take on the form, which looks just like a regular pair of reading glasses. The idea was to have a fully capable AR system within a comparatively unnoticeable footprint.

But it's looking less likely, as a new report suggests it could still be at least four years away from release. The issue mostly stems from trying to fit so much power into such a small frame. 

Engineers estimate that the glasses would need the performance of an iPhone, with only one tenth of the power consumption. That's to make sure the device is fully capable, without getting too hot to be worn.

That, obviously, is quite tough. Apple are continuing to advance with smaller processor technology – the new M3 and A17 Bionic chips are expected to use a 3nm fabrication process – but it's still not enough right now.

I think that's a real shame. I recently got hands on with the Rokid Max AR, which uses a traditional glasses frame design. That was by far the most comfortable device of this kind I've ever used.

More than that though, I think this format is much more in-line with what people would expect from Apple. It's sleek and unobtrusive, but packed with tech that could make a meaningful impact. To me, that sounds like Apple. Let's hope they can crack the code soon.