The blogger believes an announcement may be made as Apple finally moves into its new 'Spaceship'HQ later this year, or alongside the unveiling of the 10th anniversary of the iPhone in September, where the iPhone 8 is set to be unveiled. He said he expects a very lightweight pair of glasses, with the electronics on other places on your body, such as in an iPhone or other wearable.
The wearable headset would connect wirelessly to iPhones and show information that is superimposed onto a user's view of the real world. The iPhone maker is believed to be working with Carl Zeiss on the project, which could go on sale this year.
The glasses would be Apple's first product targeted directly at AR, according to the report. The firm has built up its AR research through the acquisition of several firms, including PrimeSense, which developed motion-sensing technology in Microsoft's Kinect Gaming syste. 'AR can be really great, and we have been and continue to invest a lot in this,' Mr Cook said in a conference call with analysts. 'We are high on AR for the long run. We think there are great things for customers and a great commercial opportunity.'
Alphabet Inc's discontinued its own wearable glass headset, Google Glass, and closed the social media account linked to the device earlier this year, ending its attempt to popularize the expensive devices with consumers. The device received plenty of attention when it was launched in 2012, but quickly ran into problems with its awkward appearance and privacy concerns over video recording. Snap, an $18 billion (£14 billion) company which makes the popular messaging app Snapchat, also launched its own video-camera sunglasses last week. As rumours continue to circulate about Apple's next move for its iOS systems, a new patent suggests augmented reality mapping could be underway.
The firm was granted a patent for 'Augmented reality maps' last week, revealing an app that could use the iPhone's advanced sensors to generate real-time views of the user's surroundings with digital information superimposed. The system could even overlay directional indicators to the live video stream, visualising the course and any upcoming turns on the way to a given location, and letting the user know if they're facing the wrong direction.