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Apple CEO Tim Cook: Technology Doesn't Exist to do AR Smart Glasses 'In a Quality Way'

Tuesday October 10, 2017 5:25 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Apple CEO Tim Cook recently sat down for a wide ranging interview with The Independent alongside several app developers where he discussed augmented reality in its current incarnation on the iPhone and provided a bit of insight into Apple's plans for future devices that could potentially take advantage of augmented reality, like smart glasses.

As is typical, Cook refused to comment on products Apple has in development, but when questioned about the topic, he said the technology to create a pair of augmented reality smart glasses "in a quality way" does not exist today.
"But today I can tell you the technology itself doesn't exist to do that in a quality way. The display technology required, as well as putting enough stuff around your face - there's huge challenges with that.

"The field of view, the quality of the display itself, it's not there yet."
Cook went on to say that Apple will only ship a product that's the best, reiterating that the company doesn't care about being first to new technology. "We want to be the best and give people a great experience," he said. "But now anything you would see on the market any time soon would not be something any of us would be satisfied with. Nor do I think the vast majority of people would be satisfied."

Google Glass augmented reality glasses

Rumors have suggested Apple is working on a pair of augmented reality smart glasses and has experimented with multiple prototypes, but based on both Cook's statement today and past rumors, a wearable Apple-branded augmented reality product is still a ways off.

Recent information has suggested augmented reality smart glasses are at least a year away or longer, with Apple aiming to figure out the "most compelling application" for an AR headset.

Though the technology does not exist today in Cook's opinion, he did provide some hope for a future AR wearable from Apple. "Most technology challenges can be solved, but it's a matter of how long," he said.

The rest of Cook's interview, which can be read over at The Independent and is well worth checking out, focuses heavily on ARKit and augmented reality. As he has done many times in the past, Cook said AR is huge, will be used by everyone, and will take off much like the App Store or multi-touch functionality.

Related Roundup: Apple Glasses
[ 145 comments ]

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PickUrPoison
27 months ago

In 3 years time when they announce the product, Apple will say that they have been developing this techonlogy over the past 10 years...

Which will be a true statement. And since Steve Jobs was involved for the first couple of years, the Cook haters will give Jobs all the credit, and mark the tenth anniversary of saying Cook should be fired.

Such is life on the MacRumors forum lol.
Rating: 27 Votes
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HardRain
27 months ago
Tim Cook "We are not working on any smart glasses.." Behind closed doors- "so how are the smart glasses coming along?"
Rating: 26 Votes
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JaydenWalter
27 months ago
In 3 years time when they announce the product, Apple will say that they have been developing this techonlogy over the past 10 years...
Rating: 25 Votes
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vertsix
27 months ago
your company has $200 billion in the bank though like make the technology
Rating: 24 Votes
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Kaibelf
27 months ago

your company has $200 billion in the bank though like make the technology


How about you do it and let Apple decide what to do with their money?
Rating: 17 Votes
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iapplelove
27 months ago
Seriously though, who really wants to wear those glasses, ever?
Rating: 13 Votes
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polterbyte
27 months ago
Apple doesn't rush. It doesn't always deliver, but when it does, it's done right, even if it takes longer. I've tried Holo Lens recently, and I agree about the lack of quality: the image quality is lacking and the thing is ugly and bulky to an ungodly extent.
Rating: 12 Votes
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rtomyj
26 months ago

your company has $200 billion in the bank though like make the technology

Physics my dude. You can’t throw money and break the rules and limitations we have now. It takes time. Electricity needs to be researched (battery technology), transistors need to be sized adequately (we are in 10 nm in phone chips and those chips are still huge), camera tech needs to advance while shrinking (don’t think we’ve had this happen yet. We need bigger lenses for more data) etc. Lots of things need to evelove.
Rating: 8 Votes
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OneMike
27 months ago
So in other words. We’ll take credit for creating it in a few years
Rating: 6 Votes
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Yojimbo007
26 months ago

It's the future but we can't do it now.
We can make a smartwatch now and you dummies will buy it. So voila.

You're true motives are crystal clear to anyone that's not an idiot.
Don't tell me the first gen watch, rMB. we're quality.


I guess i must be an idiot..
I loved the 1st Apple watch and was hooked ... and i loved series 2.. and i love my series 3.
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Tim Cook "We are not working on any smart glasses.." Behind closed doors- "so how are the smart glasses coming along?"

Except thats your quote.. he never said that .
Rating: 5 Votes

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