At least one analyst believes Apple Glasses has a bright future. Gene Munster predicted in a blog post a few days ago that iPhone sales will reach a peak two years from now, and afterwards it will start dropping, particularly after the release of Apple Glasses.
He added: “We believe tough comps after the next iPhone cycle will have a negative impact on iPhone growth in FY19, and in FY20 we believe Apple Glasses will start to impact iPhone sales.”
Apple has made no official announcement in this regard, but many believe that Apple Glasses will show pictures within the user’s field of vision and make use of AR (augmented reality).
Bloomberg recently reported that Apple has already ordered near-eye display from at least one supplier, but at this stage these are for tests only and not for mass production.
Munster is certain Apple Glasses will be the firm’s next major product. Glasses will boast many features now associated with the iPhone and allow wearers to use certain apps without having to take out their mobile device.
Glasses could be the firm’s first device to use AR, which is predicted to have applications in fields such as voice, e-commerce, streaming, browsing, consumer apps, advertising, theme park rides and games.
Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, is eager to commercially employ AR. Last year he said in a conference call: “We are high on AR for the long run. We think there’s great things for customers and a great commercial opportunity.”
Cook added that right now the technology wasn’t there to do everything he wanted, but this was an incredible opportunity for the future.
Digi-Capital, an advisory firm, is convinced that Apple is in a prime position to drive AR in a market with the potential of a billion users and yearly revenue of $60 billion within four years.