Apple said to be partnering with Valve to develop new AR headset
Apple has reportedly partnered with Valve, creators of video game sales and distribution platform Steam to develop a new AR headset, which is expected to launch next year, according to DigiTimes.
According to the report, the partnership will see the launch of a new Apple head-mounted AR headset, which may be released in the second half of 2020 at the earliest, with Taiwan’s ODMs Quanta Computer and Pegatron said to handle the assembly job, according to industry sources.
DigiTimes report the headset will be focused on AR, not VR, with Apple CEO Tim Cook reportedly believing that “AR can make digital content become part of the user’s world” and that “[AR] will be as popular as smartphones with consumers.”
Apple will cooperate with Valve on AR headsets rather than VR devices, as its CEO Tim Cook believes that AR can make digital content become part of the user’s world and will be as popular as smartphones with consumers. This has also promoted Apple to step up the development of AR software by recruiting more engineers for graphic design, system interface and system architecture segments.
Apple is believed to have had an uphill battle with its AR project. Reports have previously claimed the glasses have been in development for years, with leaked medical reports showing in 2017 that an Apple employee reported eye pain after working with a new prototype, thought to be Apple Glasses.
The Apple Post shared concept images created by Italian Industrial and Graphic Designer Xhakomo Doda in May that envisioned Apple’s new AR smart glasses, which imagined interchangeable frames and a sleek stainless steel casing with a sapphire crystal glass front and back housing the eyewear’s battery and internals.