Ever since Google introduced Google Glass in April 2012, it was assumed that a similar pair of AR specs would end up replacing the iPhone becoming Apple’s next big thing. The pricing and the bulkiness of the Vision Pro made it clear that Apple’s spatial computer could not be considered the successor to the iPhone. The latter is a once-in-a-generation product and when the late Steve Jobs unveiled the device at Macworld in 2007 by saying that “Today, Apple is going to reinvent the phone,” he should have said, “Today, Apple is going to change the world.”
It’s not easy finding a successor to a product that literally changed the world
Following up on a product that literally changed the world is not an easy task. While one could argue that other devices like the iPad, Apple Watch, and AirPods bring in a hefty amount of cash each year, a true iPhone successor would be expected to have a huge impact on consumers all around the globe. Some might say that just by looking at everyone’s wrists, the Apple Watch has been a revolutionary product. But even with the “lifesaving” features on the timepiece, you wouldn’t consider the Apple Watch to be an iPhone successor.
Over the years there have been stories about Apple’s AR spectacles dating as far back as 2017 when analyst Gene Munster, then working for securities firm Piper Jaffray, said that Apple’s AR glasses would be bigger than the iPhone. As recently as last month, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said that the technology that would allow Apple to produce AR glasses and meet the company’s quality requirements is at least five years away.
Gurman revisited the subject today in his weekly Power On newsletter stating that he has been told that Apple continues to work on glasses with Augmented Reality (AR). With AR, computer-generated graphics are superimposed over a real-world feed. Think about how Google Glass works. By putting the glasses on, you see a view of the real world in front of you while computer-generated data is placed over that real-world feed.
Google Maps’ Live View is a good example of Augmented Reality
Another good example of AR is Google Map’s Live View. Used while walking, the phone shows the user what is in front of him (buildings, sidewalks, traffic lights, street signs, pedestrians, etc.) while graphics that help to navigate the user to his destination are superimposed on the phone’s display.
Gurman says that Apple has issues that it is trying to iron out so that it can produce this product. The AR glasses need to be lightweight and still feature batteries with enough capacity to satisfy consumers. The product also needs to sport “compelling” displays all at a price that won’t scare people away (like the $3,499 price tag on the
Vision Pro). The Bloomberg scribe and Apple insider writes that it could take the tech giant another three to five years before the device is ready to be marketed.
While other tech firms are considered to be closer to having AR glasses ready for the public such as Google and Meta, Apple usually has its own in-house demands that must be met before a new product is released. Personally, I still believe in the future that Google laid out in the video it released the day it announced Google Glass which leads me to the conclusion that Apple’s AR glasses will be the successor to the iPhone and its next big thing.
