Apple Glass report reveals possible price, specs and more

Apple Glasses Render
(Image credit: Martin Hajek/iDropnews)

Apple Glasses rumors have ramped up in recent weeks, but today we’ve gotten our best look yet at the elusive AR lenses courtesy of the most notable Apple leaker of late. 

After teasing his intel on Apple Glasses last week, Front Page Tech host Jon Prosser unleashed a video this morning sharing everything he knows about one of “Apple’s most mysterious products ever,” which will simply be called “Apple Glass.” 

The Apple Glass prototype Prosser has reportedly seen looks like an “un-intimidating” pair of plastic glasses. It has a LiDAR scanner on the right temple, but no other cameras for privacy reasons (although that could change.) The glasses come with a plastic stand with wireless chargers. 

There are displays in both lenses that use an interface called “Starboard,” that can be controlled by performing gestures on the frames or by using your hands in front of them. But only if you are the wearer can you view the display — a passerby wouldn’t be able to tell they’re actually high-tech glasses.

Prosser says the Apple Glass will cost $499, plus prescription, but won’t be offered in a tinted variety. The price seems low considering that Apple’s flagship phones and well-specced wearables cost more, but the leaker has an accurate track record when it comes to prospective pricing. 

All the processing will reportedly happen on an iPhone, which could contribute to the lens' low cost. In other words, Apple Glass will function more like an iPhone accessory than a standalone computing device. Prosser compares the processing relationship to that of the first-generation Apple Watch.

What’s perhaps most interesting to us about Prosser’s reveal is his stance that Apple Glass will not be a “life changing” gadget. In fact, he says we should “temper our expectations,” especially for the debut model. This makes the concept of Apple Glass more tangible, which could be the key to mass adoption.

Prosser says the Apple Glass reveal could be positioned as a “one more thing,” announcement after Tim Cook debuts the iPhone 12 and Apple Watch 6 at the company’s fall keynote. 

But if the keynote can’t have members of the media present due to social distancing guidelines, Apple reportedly may want to wait until next March.

And even when Apple Glass is announced, it won’t be available to purchase for many months. Prosser suggests the earliest it could come to market is the end of 2021, and at this rate he’ll be the first to know if that timeline changes.

YouTube YouTube
Watch On
TOPICS
Kate Kozuch

Kate Kozuch is the managing editor of social and video at Tom’s Guide. She writes about smartwatches, TVs, audio devices, and some cooking appliances, too. Kate appears on Fox News to talk tech trends and runs the Tom's Guide TikTok account, which you should be following if you don't already. When she’s not filming tech videos, you can find her taking up a new sport, mastering the NYT Crossword or channeling her inner celebrity chef.

Latest in VR & AR
Samsung's Project Moohan with Android XR at Galaxy Unpacked 2025
New Samsung XR headset report tips mass production for April — but I'm worried about the price
Samsung's Project Moohan with Android XR at Galaxy Unpacked 2025
Samsung’s new XR headset just tipped for a big advantage over the Apple Vision Pro
Samsung's Project Moohan with Android XR at Galaxy Unpacked 2025
Samsung’s bringing its Project Moohan headset to MWC 2025 — what we know
Project Cambria VR headset teaser
Valve VR headset just tipped to launch by end of this year — and this could be the price
Apple Vision Pro on table
Apple Vision Pro is getting a big Apple Intelligence upgrade with visionOS 2.4 — here's all the new features
Apple Vision Pro
Apple Vision Pro major upgrade tipped with visionOS 2.4 — here's all the new features
Latest in News
NYTimes Connections
NYT Connections today hints and answers — Thursday, March 20 (#648)
A phone with the Plex logo in front of an out-of-focus background of movie posters
Yikes! Plex is getting a price hike and this key feature is going behind a pay wall
Richard Gere in Arbitrage
5 must-see mystery movies on Prime Video you (probably) missed I'd stream right now
back of Iris Pixel 9a
Google Pixel 9a pre-orders delayed due to 'component quality issue' — here's when you can get one
An open lock depicting a data breach
Half a million teachers hit in major data breach with SSNs, financial data and more exposed — what to do now
Sony A95K QD-OLED TV in front of windows in a living room
This new TV breakthrough looks like a game-changer for OLED TVs