Apple’s potential AR/VR goggles and metaverse participation have all eyes on the iPhone maker, but after Meta and Google fumbles, is now the right time?

Since Apple CEO Tim Cook called augmented reality ‘exciting’, the tech industry has been waiting to see if Apple will commit to developing VR or AR goggles

But following Meta’s false start in the metaverse, and the abandoning of Google Glass, is now the right time to be entering this space? Experts weigh in

Reading Time:3 minutes

Speculation surrounds Apple and whether it will commit to developing VR or AR goggles to show off at this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference. But is now the right time to enter the metaverse space? Photo: AFP

Published: 7:15pm, 9 Apr 2023

Apple fans are watching to see whether the iPhone-maker puts a culture-changing spin on virtual reality, even as rivals slow their march toward the metaverse.

All eyes are on whether Apple will commit to releasing long-rumoured virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR) “goggles” at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference in June, with programmers and software companies eager to get a jump-start on providing content.

Apple chief Tim Cook recently fuelled the speculation in an interview with GQ magazine, saying AR is “exciting” and that the company has a history of going its own way with innovations, even amid doubts and criticism.

“I’m not interested in putting together pieces of somebody else’s stuff,” he told the magazine, saying that the release of the iPhone and Apple Watch both had their serious detractors.

Apple CEO Tim Cook called augmented reality “exciting”, fuelling speculation of Apple’s entry into the VR/AR space. Photo: AFP

Cook did not confirm plans for Apple eyewear, instead focusing more broadly on the promise of VR or AR and defending the time it would take to release a product to market.