Market Reality: Apple Prepares AR Hardware for 2020, Sony Delivers AR Ghosts, & 8th Wall Expands Web Capabilities

Smartglasses from Apple have become the holy grail of augmented reality, and 2020 has been the rumored time horizon for the product's arrival for the past two years. The latest analyst report sheds more light on its potential debut next year.

In the present day, though, Sony is breaking out its own AR hardware, but you can't take this one home with you.

On the software end, 8th Wall delivered new capabilities for its web-based AR platform this week that has significant implications on the evolution of AR content.

Finally, Snapchat continues to spread its client base for AR advertising, this time invoicing a familiar face in pop culture and a tried-and-true retail vertical.

New Reports Target 2020 Arrival for Apple AR Headset & iPad Pro with Depth Sensor

Augmented reality enthusiasts who expected an AR hardware unveiling at Apple's annual iPhone launch event might not have to wait much longer.

On Wednesday, noted TF Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo published a report that Apple's 2020 hardware lineup will include an iPad Pro with a rear-mounted time of flight sensor and the debut of the company's long-rumored and eagerly-awaited AR headset.

Continue reading to find out when consumers can expect to get their hands on Apple's AR devices...

REALITY BITES: ARKit, ARCore, Lens Studio, and Spark AR already command the lion's share of attention from mobile AR developers. Nonetheless, the folks behind LUNAR have launched their own mobile AR platform, which offers web and app capabilities as well as support for broadcast and on-site experiences.

Sony Scares Up New Ghostbusters AR Experience

We've got almost a full year until the next installment of Ghostbusters arrives, but in the meantime, it turns out that Sony is about to launch an augmented reality experience that will let fans use immersive computing to combat the franchise's whimsical apparitions.

Starting this Saturday, fans who can make it to Tokyo, Japan will be able to play "Ghostbusters Rookie Training" using head-mounted AR devices. The location-based experience will use a prototype AR headset from Sony, as well as assorted accessories, to give users the power to explore a real-world setting populated by virtual ghosts and demons.

Read on to learn more about the Ghostbusters AR experience and the hardware that makes it work...

REALITY BITES: The European edition of the Augmented World Expo kicks off on Oct. 17. Among the notable AR companies sending speakers to Munich are Microsoft, Magic Leap, Snap, Facebook, Google, and Lenovo.

Mixed Reality Capture Support 8th Wall Web Marks Growing Trend Towards 3D Video

As demonstrated by holographic experiences for the Microsoft HoloLens and the Magic Leap One, volumetric video capture is a key component of enabling the more realistic augmented reality experiences of the future.

But the augmented reality industry is accelerating the technology of tomorrow today, with AR platform maker 8th Wall standing in as the latest company to support volumetric video after Verizon and Apple made their own moves last week to acquire 3D and motion capture technology.

Keep reading to find out more about the new capabilities of 8th Wall Web and what this development and recent acquisitions in the volumetric capture space might mean for the AR industry...

REALITY BITES: Oops, Facebook did it again. And by "it" we mean copying Snapchat. This time, the redesigned camera in Instagram now features an AR effects carousel.

'Stranger Things' Star Sells Makeup via Snapchat

The 15-year-old star of the 1980s-inspired hit series Stranger Things, Millie Bobby Brown, may have (spoiler alert) lost all her powers as the character "Eleven," but in the real world, she still has augmented reality in her arsenal.

The young science fiction icon has released a makeup line and decided to spread the word using a virtual try-on filter within Snapchat.

Read further to find out more about how the Florence By Mills brand is using Snapchat to sell its cosmetics...

Every Friday, Next Reality reviews the latest headlines from the financial side of augmented and mixed reality. This weekly Market Reality column covers funding announcements, mergers and acquisitions, market analysis, and the like. Check out previous editions of Market Reality for more news you may have missed.