Apple’s most recent patent also includes Jonathan ‘Jony’ Ive as one of the inventors of the technology.
Apple was recently granted a patent that envisions the use of the external display of a wearable headset — like the Apple Vision Pro — that gives people who are nearby an idea of what is being viewed by the wearer. While announcing the headset last year, Apple revealed that the upcoming device would show the wearer’s eyes, while also showing an indicator while watching immersive (virtual reality, or VR) content. The company’s first wearable spatial computer is expected to go on sale in the US in early 2024.
Spotted by Patently Apple, US 11,861,255 BL patent was granted to Apple on Wednesday, nearly five and a half years after it was filed with the US Patent Office. Titled “Wearable Device for Facilitating Enhanced Interaction” the patent names Jonahan ‘Jony’ Ive as one of the inventors. The document also contains several examples of the company’s ideas regarding the use of the external display to show people in the vicinity what you’re watching on the Apple Vision Pro.
For example, figure 9B in the document shows a graph on the outer display that could be used to indicate the wearer is accessing the Stocks app in immersive mode, while another figure, 9D, shows the weather on the external screen. Figures 9F and 10B also show indicators that the wearer might not want to be disturbed.
It’s noteworthy that Apple has outlined various designs for the external display of the Apple Vision Pro in its latest patent. However, the actual incorporation of these designs into the wearable headset remains uncertain. Some designs showcased in the document may potentially feature in the first-generation headset, while others might be reserved for the reportedly in-development second generation of the Apple Vision Pro.
Although Apple announced the intention to launch the Vision Pro in the US in early 2024, a specific debut timeline is yet to be disclosed. Bloomberg reports an increase in production in China, suggesting the headset could potentially be available in the US by February 2024. Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst at TF Securities, anticipates the Vision Pro hitting US shelves by the end of January or early February. Another report from Chinese investor news platform Wall Street Insights speculates a US launch date of February 27 (February 26 in the US) for the Vision Pro headset. As the launch date approaches, more details about the Apple Vision Pro are expected to emerge in the coming weeks.