Richard Goodwin 12/09/2017 - 5:28pm

Apple’s next big product has nothing to do with phones or tablets – it will be 100% focussed on AR and is likely to be a pair of glasses

GoogleGlass is dead and pretty much forgotten about, but Apple is about to reignite the masses interest in AR (augmented reality), with the release of iOS 11, which ships with Apple’s ARKit at its core.

Once iOS 11 is live, millions upon millions of iOS users will have access to Apple’s new AR content. There should be hundreds (maybe thousands) of AR apps available at the release of iOS 11 and much more for when the iPhone X Edition and iPhone 8 go on sale.

But this is just a taste of Apple’s plans for AR. Later on, in the not too distant future, Apple will release a pair of smart glasses that will be powered by ARKit. How long? No one really knows, but sources claim the AR glasses are anywhere from two to three years away.

“Matt Miesnieks told The Journal that Apple may be some three years away from launching AR glasses because traditional eye wear can’t fit the sensors and algorithms behind ARKit,” notes BGR.

And because it is Apple, you know the company will want the AR glasses to be as seamless as possible. Unlike Google Glass, which looked, well… pretty silly.

Apple could be looking at getting ARKit integrated into the exo-design of spectacles in general – i.e. working with all major glasses brands. This would allow the company to work with multiple glasses brands and leverage its reach over the market.

Whatever happens, these AR specs are a long ways off. Still, at least we get to see just what is possible with Apple’s AR in the coming weeks inside iOS 11.

Check out what to expect from tonight’s launch by checking out our primer on the iPhone X Edition.