APPLE is developing virtual reality contact lenses that could one day replace iPhones, experts have claimed.
The VR-infused eyewear would let people live in the metaverse, according to a report from Apple leak site, Macrumors.
The high-tech ‘contact lenses’ would integrate virtual reality into someone’s daily life likely using an internally-developed Apple software called ‘realityOS’.
The ‘Apple Lens,’ as it has been called, is expected to work in tangent with the iPhone and Apple Glass to allow users to make calls, browse the web and even play games while engaged with the world around them.
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted last year that Apple might release its virtual reality ‘contacts’ sometime in the 2030s.
Kuo added that the lenses will take technology products from an era of “visible computing” to “invisible computing.”
While the lenses will likely rely on another device (i.e. an iPhone) or a 5G network to function, they could potentially eliminate the need for smartphone devices in the future.
The smart contact lenses will reportedly blend with your natural eye color, and cost between $99 and $299.
The tech giant has not officially confirmed virtual-reality ‘contact lens’, however, CEO Tim Cook has called the AR and VR sectors “critically important,” and “very profound technologies.”
Still, despite Apple remaining tight-lipped on its VR products, they remain some of the most anticipated within the industry.
Several rumors have been flying around for months that Apple is reportedly launching a VR/AR headset later this year.
Last month, iOS developer Rens Verhoeven even spotted a reference to “realityOS” in App Store upload logs.
“Uh, what is Apple’s RealityOS doing in the App Store upload logs? AR/VR confirmed?” he asked in a tweet.
‘RealityOS’ might very well be the custom operating system for Apple’s future AR and VR gadgets, strongly indicating they are currently in the works.
This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced here with permission.