Is Apple preparing an augmented reality, virtual reality or mixed reality headset? The rumor, which swells every year, took a new turn following a sentence uttered by CEO Tim Cook during an interview.
The media have been thinking for years that they have identified signs of the development of a virtual or augmented reality headset at Apple. And despite the passage of time, there is still no tangible sign of it. So, it is enough that Tim Cook is a little enthusiastic about this technology for the rumor to regain strength. And for some, like CNBC, the CEO of Apple would have given “the clearest clue” that the company is preparing a helmet of this type in its forges in Cupertino – or more likely in Shenzhen.
In an interview given to China Daily USA on what he thinks are the key factors for augmented reality to succeed in the consumer market, Tim Cook did not hide his enthusiasm. He thus described Apple’s work in this space so far, i.e. AR apps on the iPhone and iPad. Before adding: “But I think we are still at the very beginning of the evolution of this technology. I couldn’t be more excited about the opportunities we’ve seen in this space. Stay tuned and you will see what we have to offer.” So much for the famous index supposed to attest to the work of Apple on a helmet.
If some are optimistic, it is also because this is not the only clue disseminated by the brand. The very serious Bloomberg reported last May that Apple had recently shown its AR/VR headset to the Apple board of directors and that the company plans to announce it as soon as the end of this year, then to market in 2023. A product that could even have been presented at WWDC, according to the media, if some technical problems had not interfered in the roadmap.
Apple, however, seems more concerned with augmented reality than with next-gen virtual reality, namely what it hides behind this great metaverse marketing concept. Recently, several industry heavyweights decided to form a group called the Metaverse Standards Forum. Objective: to promote the emergence of standards aimed at making the virtual worlds of these companies compatible with each other. If we find Facebook (Meta), Microsoft, Nvidia, Qualcomm or even Sony, the Cupertino company still stays away…