In the past year or so, there have been plenty of rumors circulating that Apple is working on their own pair of augmented reality smart glasses. However, recent information from CEO Tim Cook suggests that we may need to wait a little longer.
Cook was recently involved in talks with other app developers where he discussed the current state of augmented reality on the iPhone and provided some insight into the future of AR for Apple. In typical fashion, he did not disclose any information about the products that Apple currently have in development but he did say that the technology to create augmented reality smart glasses “in a quality way” does not yet exist.
“But today I can tell you the technology itself doesn’t exist to do that in a quality way. The display technology required, as well as putting enough stuff around your face – there’s huge challenges with that.
“The field of view, the quality of the display itself, it’s not there yet.”
He reiterated that Apple is not a company that prides itself on doing things first, but a company that strives to do things the best. “We want to be the best and give people a great experience,” he said. “But now anything you would see on the market any time soon would not be something any of us would be satisfied with. Nor do I think the vast majority of people would be satisfied.”
We do know that Apple has experimented with a number of prototypes but based on this information from Cook, Apple’s Smart Glasses are still a ways off. Some reports suggesting we may be waiting a year or even longer while Apple figure out the best way to approach it.
Cook did offer some hope for the future of wearable AR, however, stating “Most technology challenges can be solved, but it’s a matter of how long.”
