If the latest rumors are to be believed, Apple is knee-deep work on a not-so-secret augmented reality (AR) headset, which is reportedly entered the "second phase" of development.
In a 2015 New Yorker profile, former Apple Chief Design Officer Jony Ive, was not hot on Google Glass — the first consumer AR headset that failed spectacularly.
While Ive and Cook thought Google Glass was terrible, the company's many patent filings strongly suggest that new technology and innovation might help Apple succeed where Google failed. Timing, as they say, is everything.
In 2017, Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, reported on Apple's AR glasses/headset project called "T288." Gurman said Apple was working on a system-on-chip specifically for the device and rOS (reality operating system) based on iOS.
In 2018, CNET corroborrated the T288 project, adding the device would be a hybrid AR/VR headset. The site said the headset would feature 8K resolution per eye, which would be far greater resolution than even the best consumer VR headsets like the Quest 2.
🎥: Apple
In May 2020, leaker Jon Prosser, who's accurately leaked devices like the AirPods Max and iPhone SE, made the dubious claim that Apple's AR headset would be called "Apple Glass." He also said the headset would be powered by an iPhone, include a LiDAR scanner (but no camera), support hand gesture controls, and charge wirelessly.
$499?
Prosser also said Apple is targeting $499 price.