In the days leading up to Apple’s iPhone 11 event, we learned that Apple is already testing some sort of augmented reality (AR) device that will work in conjunction with iPhones. Code in an iOS 13 beta as well as new icons suggested that the so-called Apple Glasses might launch sooner than expected, with some people speculating that Apple’s “one more thing” announcement during Tuesday’s iPhone 11 event might be about AR glasses. That didn’t turn out to be the case, and Apple is yet to confirm any plans for an AR headset of its own.
Before the leak, the most bullish estimates said the Apple AR gadget might arrive in 2020 at the earliest, and there’s no indication that Apple is getting ready to unveil it sooner than that. Now, a new discovery in iOS 13 code indicates that Apple might not even be trying that hard to conceal the active development of its first-gen AR headset.
It was developer Steve Troughton-Smith who posted the discovery, the same person who always seems to uncover gems about unreleased Apple products in Apple code. iOS 13 GM contains a readme file about how employees can run stereo AR apps on iPhone when you don’t have access to your Apple headset. Apple headset?
The iOS 13 GM also comes with a readme file (!) for how employees can run Stereo AR apps on an iPhone when you don't have access to Apple's headset 😳 pic.twitter.com/SeZEHW8p0S
— Steve Troughton-Smith (@stroughtonsmith) September 10, 2019
This is likely a mistake, but one that confirms previous leaks that mentioned some of the code seen here, such as the StarBoard framework that’s related to AR devices.
StarBoard frameworks on iOS 13 now. StarBoard is Apple’s system shell for stereo augmented reality apps (headset). Guess secrecy is out? pic.twitter.com/XTnlqQgpHh
— Steve Troughton-Smith (@stroughtonsmith) September 10, 2019
…StarBoard itself is in the shipping build of iOS 13. Wat. Did somebody forget to ifdef all the secret AR headset code? https://t.co/vkD2qD4ARc
— Steve Troughton-Smith (@stroughtonsmith) September 11, 2019
The developer also noted that Apple had time to remove all “Apple Tag” references from iOS 13, but somehow left the AR headset subsystems in place. Apple Tag, by the way, is the rumored product name for an unannounced Apple device that would work just like Tile, allowing users to find lost items that are attached to these tiny Tags. The iPhone 11 models all pack a new U1 chip that makes indoor positioning far more accurate.
What’s interesting about the new findings when it comes to Apple’s AR glasses, is that they paint a different picture of what we were expecting from the product. Rather than running its own iOS-derived operating system as was first rumored, the headset seems to be a passive display accessory of the iPhone, with the smartphone handling all the processing.
The picture of Apple’s AR efforts from iOS 13 is very different to what one might expect. It points to the headset being a much more passive display accessory for iPhone than a device with an OS of its own. The iPhone seems to do everything; ARKit is the compositor
— Steve Troughton-Smith (@stroughtonsmith) September 11, 2019
It seems very much like Stereo AR apps are an app extension type you can include in your iOS app bundle, if you have the entitlements. One imagines that when Apple's headset is attached, it has a dashboard of some kind that shows you your available Stereo AR apps (like CarPlay)
— Steve Troughton-Smith (@stroughtonsmith) September 10, 2019
Again, it’s unclear when Apple might launch this product or if the company is anywhere near delivering a finalized version of its AR headset.
