Apple Glass may be hiding a clever trick that makes this rumored lens less high-tech than previously thought According to the patent, Apple is developing a set of frames that will be driven by a companion iPhone, rather than a separate display or software

As discovered by PatentlyApple, the patent describes a head-mounted device (HMD) that looks like glasses but actually houses the iPhone between two parallel lenses The result is a gadget that is reminiscent of Google Cardboard, but more sophisticated

This is not the first time Apple has patented an HMD that integrates its smartphone, so there is no guarantee that this version will see the light of day Nevertheless, there are some interesting advancements in the latest iPhone 12 lineup that make compatible headsets more feasible than ever

For one, thanks to LiDAR technology, the iPhone's camera can be used to create a mixed reality experience the LiDAR sensor on the back of the iPhone, available on the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max, can add augmented reality effects to real world settings augmented reality effects to real-world settings

LiDAR recognizes the location of objects by sending out waves that bounce off of physical objects and back to the iPhone's sensor, providing precise measurements This allows LiDAR-based AR effects to show the position of an object relative to the world around it

Without iPhone support, Apple Glasses would introduce similar sensors for a mixed reality experience But packing that technology into a device that people would actually want to wear on their face is no mean feat

As it is, wearing glasses with a built-in iPhone would not be comfortable in terms of weight distribution Perhaps the 476-ounce iPhone 12 mini could steal the spotlight as a headset-enabled phone if it had the same LiDAR sensor as the iPhon 12 Pro model

If Apple goes the iPhone integration route with the first version of Apple Glasses, the headset would be less ambitious than previously thought The latest rumors put the release date for Apple Glasses at 2023