It looks like Apple may have run into some walls with the development of its augmented reality glasses. According to a new report from DigiTimes, Apple “terminated” the development of the new glasses. The report also notes that Apple has instead “temporarily stopped” developing the new tech, so it’s unknown if Apple will revisit the idea in the near future or not. It’s also important to note that a number of reports cast doubt on the idea that Apple has canceled the project, so it’s possible that the report isn’t true at all.
Over the past few months, multiple outlets have reported that Apple is working on developing its own augmented reality glasses, including insiders like analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman. The DigiTimes report, however, suggests that the team working on the new glasses was disbanded back in May and assigned to different teams.
So what caused the end of the project? According to DigiTimes, the beginning of the end was when Apple designer Avi Bar-Zeev left his job leading the AR glasses team in January. Previously, Bar-Zeev was known for co-creating the Microsoft HoloLens glasses.
If Apple released a pair of augmented reality glasses, they would likely work with the iPhone, similar to the Apple Watch when it first launched. Some reports noted that the glasses would be a stand-alone device, however, more recent reports noted that they will rely on the iPhone to handle most of their computing.
Of course, Apple wouldn’t be the first to release a pair of augmented reality glasses, but it might be the first to bring the idea to the mainstream. The likes of Microsoft, with the HoloLens glasses, and Magic Leap, with the Magic Leap One smart glasses, have already explored the concept of augmented reality — albeit in a somewhat bulky and uncomfortable form. Apple’s glasses would reportedly be a similar size to normal eyeglasses, with a slightly bigger frame to accommodate for the device’s internals.
In March, Kuo reported that the augmented reality glasses were nearing the production stage and could be released in 2020. If Apple does end up releasing AR glasses, we’ll have to wait and see exactly when they show up.
Two new highly requested iCloud plugins just got added to ChatGPT, giving people who rely on Apple’s Mail and Calendar services a way to search emails, check appointments, and manage their schedules directly through the chatbot.
The integration is rolling out to all ChatGPT plans, including the free tier. You can access it on the web, desktop, and iOS.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.
Samsung’s scandal over its Game Optimizing Service, or GOS, has returned with a bill attached. South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission has tentatively fined the company 20.1 billion won, or about $15.1 million, over gaming claims made for the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S22, and Tab S8.
The regulator says Samsung promoted the devices as gaming powerhouses without disclosing that GOS placed preset CPU and GPU limits on certain demanding games. Samsung disputes that conclusion, calling GOS a legitimate way to manage heat.