Apple's Rumored Augmented Reality Smartglasses May Include VR Capabilities, Report Says

Apple-branded smart glasses with dual circular lenses.

While Apple has generally been more bullish on augmented reality as opposed to virtual reality, the latest whispers about its purported AR headset suggests that it may be giving VR another look.

Citing the ever-popular "person familiar" with the situation, on Friday, CNET reported that Apple's AR headset, codenamed T288, will carry a pair of 8K resolution displays and will also be capable of displaying VR content.

The untethered headset is expected to arrive by 2020, partially mirroring similar reports that surfaced in 2017.

Apple

Making its initial foray into augmented reality with ARKit last year, Apple has been highly active in developing the technology over the past few years with acquisitions, high-profile hires, investments, and patents all pointing in the direction of AR smartglasses.

And Apple CEO Tim Cook has gone on record on numerous occasions regarding his preference for augmented reality.

Don't Miss:Apple Acquires AR Hardware Maker to Jumpstart Its Own Headset Aspirations

In fact, when asked about VR at a recent student summit in Birmingham, Alabama, Cook redirected the question towards augmented reality, explaining how AR can enhance communication and "amplify human ability and performance."

Nevertheless, Apple has been warming up to VR, enabling VR support for macOS last year, and devoting some quality time to VR on stage at WWDC 2017 (as seen in the video above).

So while the latest VR rumors may seem odd given Apple's AR focus, it's not like the company hasn't been paying attention to the overall activity in the VR space. Or, this could all be a game of telephone gone wrong, with the "person familiar" erroneously translating "mixed reality" to AR and VR.

We may know more in about a month from now when Cook takes the stage at the next WWDC event.

What do you think about these latest rumors? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Cover image concept rendering via Taeyeon Kim/Behance

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