“An incident report compiled by an Environment Health and Safety contractor working for Apple mistakenly sent to hundreds of Apple employees and leaked to Gizmodo includes tantalizing clues about some of the new products the notoriously secretive tech company may be cooking up,” William Turton reports for Gizmodo. “The report includes over 70 different incidents.”
“The report, sent out on April 14, is titled ‘Impact Descriptions Reported in [Santa Clara Valley] from Last Month,’ and contains everything from inconsequential reports from employees after running into a door, all the way up to people seeking medical attention after testing new Apple products,” Turton reports. “Many of the incidents detail common workplace injuries.”
“It seems some of the incidents listed within this report may hint at new products Apple may be working on,” Turton reports. “One report on February 21 that included “medical treatment beyond first aid,” involved a prototype unit at Apple’s De Anza office in Cupertino. ‘After BT4 user study, user advised study lead, that she experienced discomfort in her eye and said she was able to see the laser flash at several points during the study. Study lead referred her to optometrist and secured prototype unit for analysis.'”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: As we wrote last November, “Imagine what could be done with AirPods coupled with a pair of Apple Specs. The sky’s the limit!”
VR, I think, has some interesting applications, but I don’t think it’s a broad-based technology like AR. Augmented reality will take some time to get right, but I do think that it’s profound. We might… have a more productive conversation, if both of us have an AR experience standing here, right? And so I think that things like these are better when they’re incorporated without becoming a barrier to our talking… You want the technology to amplify it, not to be a barrier. — Apple CEO Tim Cook, October 13, 2016
SEE ALSO:
Apple began working on augmented reality glasses more than a year ago, sources say – March 27, 2017
How Apple might deliver Augmented Reality on the iPhone – March 1, 2017
Apple CEO Cook sparks predictions of augmented reality in iPhone 8 – February 27, 2017
Apple CEO Cook offers clues to Apple’s Augmented Reality strategy – February 14, 2017
Apple CEO Cook on Augmented Reality: ‘I regard it as a big idea like the smartphone’ – February 10, 2017
Apple working to integrate Augmented Reality capabilities into iPhone’s Camera app – November 17, 2016
Apple granted another Augmented Reality head-mounted display patent – November 10, 2016
Ming-Chi Kuo: Apple will have a 3-5 year lead in augmented reality; use as part of an autonomous driving system – November 2, 2016
Apple CEO Tim Cook: ‘We are high on Augmented Reality for the long run’ – October 14, 2016
iPhone 7 Plus is the starting point of Apple’s major push into augmented reality – September 28, 2016
iPhone 7 Plus proves Apple is gearing up for augmented reality – September 27, 2016
What iPhone 7 says about Apple’s future augmented reality plans – September 19, 2016
Apple needs to forget chasing Snapchat and go after the Augmented Reality industry – August 25, 2016
Tim Cook publicly confirms Apple has augmented reality plans – July 27, 2016
Apple acquires Flyby Media; assembles large team of virtual and augmented reality experts – January 29, 2016
Apple hires leading virtual reality researcher – January 22, 2016
Apple is building a virtual reality supply chain with disruptive potential, new research shows – November 19, 2015
Analyst: Apple team exploring virtual reality/augmented reality – August 31, 2015
Apple exploring a new reality with purchase of Metaio – June 3, 2015
Apple patents perforated augmented reality display that you can see and hear through – May 29, 2015
Apple acquires augmented reality company Metaio – May 28, 2015
New Apple haptics patent application reveals diamond-layered trackpad that simulates wood, other textures – April 23, 2015
Apple granted U.S. patent for hybrid VR head-mounted display – February 18, 2015
Apple is working on VR user interfaces and gaming; looking for Oculus and Leap experts – February 10, 2015
Apple granted patent for display-based speakers for iOS devices – January 13, 2015
Apple granted a patent for devices with a transparent display – November 18, 2014
Apple’s new iPhones, iPads could feature haptic displays – June 30, 2014
Apple patent application reveals personal display headset invention – May 8, 2014
Apple patent application reveals wildly intelligent multi-tiered haptics system – May 3, 2012
Apple continues to tweak Apple TV video headset accessory – April 10, 2014
Apple patent application reveals sapphire flexible transparent display devices created with Liquidmetal – December 19, 2013
Apple granted knockout patent for head-mounted personal display – December 10, 2013
iGlasses: Apple granted patent for head-mounted augmented reality displays – July 5, 2012
Apple files patent application for haptic feedback touch-based user interface – March 22, 2012
Anyone who thinks that VR has some mainstream future is probably way too involved with bleeding-edge tech, and too removed from the mainstream culture. Expecting people to strap on clunky plastic contraptions, even if the content is really, really cool, is way too unrealistic. People don’t even want to put on 3D glasses, and those are a lot lighter on the face (and look comparatively normal).
Apple is right to assume that AR has a much better chance. The glasses can look normal (think: Google Glasses, only not geeky), and the technology can be just as immersive, and actually practical.
I wouldn’t be too sure. Remember:
– Nobody’s going to want a computer in their home.
– Nobody’s going to want to use a mouse instead of a keyboard.
– Nobody’s going to want the iPhone.
How many more things nobody’s going to want?
Google Glass
The G4 Cube
2013 Mac Pro
Bandai Pippin
Apple TV 2015
Cell phone face harness
Microsoft Kin
Microsoft Windows phone
Blackberry phone
Windows 8
Windows 10
Starbucks Unicorn drinks
& too many other google products to mention.
AR outside; VR in home.
I have hardly ever played games… but even I can see the potential in VR.
If I’m reading the article correctly, these aren’t regular glasses, these shoot lasers !
My Laser Cats would LOVE those!
A laser flash?! That sounds different. I can’t imagine Apple shooting lasers into users eyes. That seems like a recipe for disaster. I wonder if maybe they were testing a car navigation system that uses laser scanners. Who knows…
It’s Apple new Retina scanning authorization tech for AR glasses. 😛
Sharks. With. Laszers.
Rather contact lenses… for specific injuries.
These glasses would have to look like normal sunglasses so they don’t look goofy. Apple could market them as a fashion statement like the Apple watches.
How to install the Apple EyePhone
They seem to be more like contact lens VR vision