Apple has reportedly teamed up with Valve for its AR glasses

Apple has been playing around with AR software for a while now but its ambitions regarding the futuristic technology are yet to materialize in the form of a product. It’s long-rumored Apple Glasses might be months away from release, however, and now new information adds an important partner to Apple’s endeavor.

Coming from DigiTimes is a report that Apple is partnering with Valve for the development of its own AR headset. Valve Index is one of the popular VR headsets on the market right now and the company’s Steam platform offers a wide range of VR games. If true, this adds fuel to the rumors that Apple might be preparing more than one AR/VR capable devices, including one that’s focused on entertainment. The virtual experiences to go with it/them could very well be exclusive to Steam.

Apple is also allegedly planning to go with the same hardware manufacturers that Valve is trusting: Pegatron and Quanta Computer. Of course, that’s nothing surprising considering Apple has been working with both companies for a while now. Quanta is assembling the Apple Watch while Pegatron is responsible for a fraction of iPhone orders. However, having these two companies involved in the production of the AR headset shows that Apple is planning to make it a mainstream device with sales numbers potentially in the double-digit millions, something no manufacturer of VR headsets has achieved yet.

DigiTime’s sources say the new product is expected to hit the market in the second half of 2020 which is later than recent predictions from Ming-Chi Kuo which targeted next year’s Q2. Either way, next year is shaping up to be an important one for Apple and, as an extension, the whole AR/VR industry. Needless to say, we can’t wait to see what it has in store!