Apple CEO Tim Cook Aims to Launch AR Glasses Before He Steps Down: Report

Apple is reportedly planning to add a new category of product, likely to be mixed reality headsets in 2022. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the Cupertino-based tech giant is also working on AR glasses that may release in the “middle of the decade.” Notably, the AR glasses are said to be the final major product category before Tim Cook retires, the latter confirmed by  the senior executive earlier this year in a podcast series. Apple is also reportedly working on Apple Car, which is expected to release around the same time as the AR glasses. Tim Cook has not given a specific retirement date, but the report adds the CEO understands “running a Silicon Valley company is typically a young person’s game, and he’s not going to stay far beyond his prime.”

This is not the first we’re hearing about Apple VR headset or AR Glasses in development. Earlier in April, notable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo speculated the company would release a “helmet type” headset with virtual reality capabilities in 2022, followed by a pair of AR glasses in 2025, and eventually AR contact lenses between 2030-2040. The VR headset could weigh somewhere between 200 grams to 300 grams, but the company would aim nearly 100 grams, the analyst added. Other rumoured features associated with the gear include Sony’s micro-OLED display, independent power supply and storage. It essentially means the VR headset will aim to run without an iPhone. Kuo suggested that Apple would position the AR/VR headset more like a portable product rather than a mobile product.