Apple Glass

Apple’s AR/VR headset project has become one of its worst-kept secrets, except that we still have no clear idea of exactly what it is that Apple is going to come up with. By every report over the past year or so, Apple is working on two different devices — an immersive headset that would likely be more geared toward gaming and other AR/VR applications, which will likely be followed by a set of augmented reality glasses that are aimed more toward everyday casual wear.

Notwithstanding some really crazy rumours and speculation last spring, we weren’t holding our breath about even seeing a preview of Apple’s actual spectacles anytime soon — most reports are pegging a 2022 release for the headset, followed by a 2023 release for the glasses. In fact, Jon Prosser’s suggestion of a ‘Steve Jobs Heritage Edition’ of Apple Glass was so out there that it wouldn’t have surprised us if the well-known leaker was simply trolling.

That said, 2021 could be the year we actually see Apple unveil a preview of its first augmented reality product. Getting developer buy-in is going to be important, so showing it off at an event like WWDC isn’t entirely out of the question, and there’s tons of precedent for Apple to debut a revolutionary product in advance of it going on sale — it happened with the original iPhone in 2007, the Apple Watch in 2014, and the HomePod in 2017, to name just a few.