Apple Inc. was reported to be developing a Google Glass-like AR wearable as some claim that the Cupertino-based tech giant already ordered a small quantity of the product to be developed.
The Cupertino-based iPhone maker is reportedly developing digital glasses that will connect user's iPhone and display augmented reality, The Next Web has learned The said device will allegedly work similarly to the Google Glass which did not fair so well in the market.
In addition, some reports suggest that Apple already has ordered small quantities of near-eye displays to test its concept. Unfortunately, there has been no solid proof yet and the small amount could mean that the company is not really serious with the said product which can still be scrapped.
Additionally, Apple has a bundle of copyrights relating to augmented and virtual reality, Wired reported. CEO Tim Cook has made on-record comments in favor of the technology. It was on July 2016 when he stated that augmented reality would bring "great things for customers" and was a "great commercial opportunity".
Last month, Cook went so far as to say AR would one day happen "in a big way".He added that the AR revolution will be huge and people will wonder how they lived without it in the previous years, just like how people can now live without smartphones and the Internet.
The trial that Apple faces in creating salable smart glasses is really significant. The most high-profile attempt, Google's ill-fated Glass experiment, raised major confidentiality concerns with some early-adopters being called as "glassholes".
Most technology businesses have been shifting their asset and interest away from Google Glass-like products and towards conventional VR headsets such as the Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive
The biggest search engine company itself recently unveiled the DayDream VR headset together with its Pixel smartphone. Moreover, Facebook also launched its Oculus VR, Samsung's Gear VR and Microsoft's HoloLens also contending in a progressively tangled market.
Apple has not commented on the speculations and rumors but some expect that the earliest release date for their Google Glass-like device is around 2018. They could still announce the new product in 2017 in one of their conferences.