Patent Reveals Future of ‘Apple Glasses’ Project

If you thought Apple’s Glass Project had been put on hold, we have great news: a recently granted Apple patent (via Patently Apple) reveals new parameters for their future glasses.

Apple’s glasses were designed to work with augmented reality, but designed with telephonic abilities in mind. As Patently Apple notes, the project scrapped the old terminology, and now refers to the Apple Glass Project as “portable display device”, and the most recently granted patent was signed by Christopher Sanders, Apple’s current Design Lead. Yes, it can take the form of a “set of goggles that fit over the user’s eyes with display and perhaps sound producing capability, a faceplate that covers the front of the user’s face with display and perhaps sound producing capability, or any other headwear that has display and perhaps sound producing capability.”

The patent description reveals how Apple imagines the Glasses: it is a device worn by the a user, and it is capable or presenting media content to the user.
The wired (or more likely, wireless) device will sense the physical presence of the user, as it will be equipped with a proximity sensor. In addition, Apple’s goggles could include a temperature sensor and a pressure sensor.

With so many sensors on board, the Apple goggles will be able to put the media on hold in a whole new way: by simply removing them from the head (if they’re goggles) or, if they take the form of an earphone, simply by removing them from the user’s ears.