By Dan Moren for Macworld

November 12, 2017 4:26 PM PT

Apple: Betting big on AR

I’m not one to toot my own horn, but a couple months ago I theorized that Apple was absolutely working on a heads-up augmented reality display. This week, lo and behold, a Bloomberg report seemed to confirm that conjecture, adding that such a device could ship by 2020.

Meanwhile, in the company’s most recent financial results conference call, Apple CEO Tim Cook once again made it clear that AR is at the top of his agenda, saying it will “change the way we use technology forever.”

Both of those closely followed the releases of new iPhones and a new version of iOS, all of which boast augmented reality as a selling point; indeed, Apple says the A11 Bionic chip inside both the iPhone X and the iPhone 8 series is specifically designed for AR.

So, sure, Apple is investing heavily in augmented reality. It wants the technology to succeed, that much is clear. But AR is still in its infancy and if it’s going to capture the world’s enthusiasm as seems to have Tim Cook’s, it’s going to need a couple things first.

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