Apple developing iGlasses since 2006
Apple has reportedly been working on smart glasses, similar to Google's Glass since 2006. The project was put on hold to work on the iPhone.This was announced by Fast Company, following an interview with Tony Fadell, former chief of Apple's iPod-division. Fadell worked with Apple from 2001-2008 and reports the company has been working on the smart glasses since 2006.
A lot of different prototypes were developed for the glasses and they look like Google's Glass. Fadell calls it the craziest project he has ever worked on.
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Initially, the glasses were like some kind of visor with built-in screen in front of the wearer's face that made for an immersive entertainment experience, as if you were in a movie theater, according to Fadell.
The idea was eventually abandoned so Apple could focus on the iPod and iPhone, which were already so successful, they didn't have time for anything else.
The way Fadell describes the iGlasses points to a different starting point than Google has with Google glass. Where Google approaches glass as a means of communication and an extension of the smart phone, iGlasses should be viewed as a visual version of a headphone.
During the time Fadell worked with Apple, the company also experimented with a remote-controlled digital camcorder. That idea was abandoned too when the popular flip camera entered the American market.
