Apple is reportedly working with Zeiss, the famed optics manufacturer, to produce a pair of augmented reality glasses. The product, if real, might be released as soon as this year, though 2018 still seems like a more probable target.
Long-time industry watcher Robert Scoble claims to have confirmed with a Zeiss employee at CES 2017 that Apple and the optics manufacturer are working together. According to Scoble, the two giants are developing “a light pair of augmented reality/mixed reality glasses that may be announced this year”.
This isn’t the first time that Apple is rumored to be working on augmented or mixed reality scenarios. Soon after Snapchat announced its Spectacles, a credible report suggested that Apple was indeed looking very keenly at the smart glasses market. Back then, the company was reported to be working on a pair of glasses similar to the ill-fated Google Glass, which would launch at some point in 2018.
Tim Cook himself has expressed an appreciation and interest for augmented reality, saying he believed it would become commonplace and would have the same type of impact that the original iPhone did.
Apple has been struggling in recent years to make a mark in the technology industry with sales of its devices declining and fans being unimpressed with some of the company’s recent products. Entering a whole new market with an innovative product like augmented reality is something that could help Apple keep its crown in the tech market.
Source: Robert Scoble