Apple is reportedly working on Apple Glasses, a pair of augmented reality glasses that could literally change how you see the world around you. And now a new concept shows us how this wearable device could work.
Designer Jordan Singer posted the following 'glassOS' concept on his website (via 9to5Mac). As an entirely new product, Apple would need a new operating system, so Singer has taken elements of iOS 14, Apple's new operating system for iPhones that's currently in beta, and translated it to smart eyewear.
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One of iOS 14's key design aims is to have all the important details a user need concentrated into small widgets. The 'Smart Stack' feature introduced in iOS 14 is present here too, making sure you only get the widgets you need when the Glasses think you need them.
Notifications, like phone calls, text messages, translations and navigation directions, are kept small and tucked into the top right corner to avoid distracting the user, with dark mode automatically enabled when you're in low light conditions.
The glassOS concept shows how incoming calls would appear to users, similar to how they drop down from the top of the screen in iOS 14. What's not clear is how you would answer the call. Our guess would be with a tap of the Apple Glass arm, and perhaps a double tap would dismiss the call.
We also see App Clips, Apple's instant app system, appear in Singer's concept. The Glasses can detect the presence of an App Clip nearby, likely the QR code, and instructs the user to open their iPhone to continue.
Siri also gets the same treatment, announcing its presence with a simple spherical icon. You would presumably be able to get answers to questions displayed in your field of view.
Apple Glass is due to arrive in 2023, based on a Bloomberg report, and could also feature interchangeable arms with different functions and auto-adjusting focus that would correct any vision problems on the fly without a prescription. We're also expecting a true VR headset from Apple at some point too, which will reportedly arrive in 2022.
