Sources: Apple to debut a new 3D sensor module in an iPad Pro coming in H1'20 and higher-end 2020 iPhones, to be followed by a AR/VR headset and AR glasses

- Company designs new 3-D system as hub for range of AR devices — Next iPad, iPhone to have 3-D system, followed by two headsets

Bloomberg 2019-11-12 Mark Gurman

Context & Ripple Effects

This report closes a two-year loop: Bloomberg first reported Apple working on a rear-facing 3D sensor for the 2019 iPhone back in November 2017, alongside separate reporting that same week on Apple ramping up AR headset work with its own display, chip, and OS. Today's sourcing shows the sensor plan slipping into 2020 hardware instead — an H1'20 iPad Pro and higher-end 2020 iPhones — with the headset and glasses still sequenced behind them.

The significance is architectural rather than product-by-product: Apple is positioning the 3D system as a hub shared across a range of AR devices, which matches what its AR executives later described when explaining how iPhones and iPads are becoming world-mapping tools laying groundwork for headsets.

First-order effects

Buyers of the H1'20 iPad Pro and higher-end 2020 iPhones get depth-sensing AR hardware built in, making those devices the first mass-market testbeds for the new 3D system.
Apple's AR roadmap firms up into a stated sequence — sensor-equipped iPads and iPhones first, then an AR/VR headset and AR glasses — replacing the vaguer 2019-ship target from its earlier headset reporting.

Second-order effects

A large installed base of 3D-capable iPhones and iPads gives developers a reason to build AR content before any headset ships, so the phone becomes the subsidy that de-risks the unproven headset category.
Component suppliers of laser-based depth-sensing modules gain a high-volume Apple design win across two product lines, echoing the laser-based 3D camera plans Bloomberg reported for 2020 iPhones earlier that year.

Third-order effects

If the pattern holds, every iPhone and iPad sold doubles as a mapping and scanning node — the world-modeling layer Apple's AR execs later described — so the eventual headset launches onto pre-built spatial data rather than starting cold.
The endgame visible in this sequence is a single spatial-computing stack spanning phones, tablets, headset, and glasses, which is roughly where Apple landed with the ~$3,000 MR headset detailed years later.

The trend: Apple is sequencing AR bottom-up: depth sensors in iPhones and iPads first to seed developer content and world data, with dedicated headsets riding on top of that installed base.

Discussion

@alexeheath Alex Heath on x
Apple plans to release a AR/VR headset in 2022 and a sleeker pair of AR glasses in 2023. The timelines run counter to recent reports that suggest a 2020 ship year. That and more details about Apple's AR hardware efforts here, with @waynema & @nickwingfield https://www.theinformat…
@mor10 @mor10 on x
This is what I'm talking about when I say the age of consuming the web via rectangular screens is already over: https://www.cnbc.com/...
@briansolis Brian Solis on x
“Apple Said to Release AR Headset w/3D Scanning in 2022, Followed by Sleeker Glasses in 23” My 💭 By then, we will have seen greater adoption of productive virtual experience layers (beyond gaming). Apple's entrance will be next level. https://www.macrumors.com/... #augmentedreali…
@markgurman Mark Gurman on x
Apple Plans iPad, iPhone with 3D/AR Camera in 2020, Gaming-Focused AR/VR Headset by 2022, Lightweight Glasses A Year Later https://www.bloomberg.com/...
@mugofpaul Paul Reynolds on x
There is going to be a wave of video pass-through AR wearables. Which is great because it's affordable, VR capable, and enables some really cool experiences... https://www.theverge.com/...
@amir Amir Efrati on x
“Attendees were required to wrap their iPhones in tamper-proof stickers with unique QR codes that blocked the front and back cameras, preventing them from photographing the event.” Am willing to bet the proposed ship dates slip by a year or 2. https://www.theinformation.com/ ...
@panzer Matthew Panzarino on x
As I've been tooting about for years, Apple and Snap are the only ‘big’ companies doing anything with AR that seems consumer centric.
@panzer Matthew Panzarino on x
Apple started hiring for AR in earnest around 7 years after the iPhone. Its first headset should arrive around 7 years later. https://twitter.com/...
@andrewprojdent Andrew Hart on x
2023 for consumer AR glasses seems like a realistic timeline. Read the whole thread 👇 - some interesting early details about the UX, such as darkening lenses for AR usage, to indicate the wearer is distracted. Things which I'm sure at some later point will seem “obvious”. https:/…
@reneritchie Rene Ritchie on x
Oculus Quest is legit terrific and a headset is more deliverable short term. If they can solve for glasses even by 2025, I'll be impressed. “Apple Eyes 2022 Release for AR Headset, 2023 for Glasses” https://www.theinformation.com/ ...
@lucasmtny Lucas Matney on x
Big report on Apple AR from The Information. AR-focused Oculus Quest-ish headset reportedly coming in 2022 and sleeker glasses in 2023 — “current prototypes look like high-priced sunglasses with thick frames that house the battery and chips” https://www.theinformation.com/ ...
@scobleizer Robert Scoble on x
New report says Apple is coming in 2022. I am bummed but there aren't any that consumers find attractive yet, me included. https://twitter.com/...
@alexeheath Alex Heath on x
@waynema @nickwingfield One more thing I want to call out towards the end of the story: Snap is developing a 4th gen version of its Spectacles camera glasses, codenamed Hermosa, with smart lenses capable of showing AR effects. Facebook already working on similar hardware too. The…
@alexeheath Alex Heath on x
The AR glasses are in the earlier stages of development, but Apple is working on lenses that darken when the wearer is using AR, a way of letting others know the wearer is distracted. They are meant to be worn all day, & execs think they could replace iPhones in roughly a decade.
@alexeheath Alex Heath on x
For the AR/VR headset, Apple plans for the device to have an ultra high-res display, the ability to detect people in the field of vision, and the ability to map the surfaces/edges of a room. Apple wants the device to be more lightweight and easy to wear than Facebook's Oculus.
@bdsams Brad Sams on x
@Techmeme There's an Apple AR headset launching every year for the next 4 years. https://twitter.com/...
@alexeheath Alex Heath on x
Here's some of what we know: - There are two Apple AR devices in the works: a mixed reality headset that looks somewhat like Facebook's Oculus Quest, & more futuristic AR glasses. - Apple plans to reach out to developers in 2021 to encourage them to build apps for the headset.
@stevekovach Steve Kovach on x
Apple's AR headset looks like Facebook's Oculus VR headset, The Information reports. So much for sleek glasses. (For now.) https://www.theinformation.com/ ...
@alexeheath Alex Heath on x
@waynema @nickwingfield Execs discussed the roadmap for the AR devices during an October meeting at the Steve Jobs Theater on Apple's campus. Sources said it's highly unusual for so many employees to be briefed about such secretive projects (though they were made to put tape over…

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