Munster on Apple AR

I think his assessment seems about right.

They need to create an ecosystem before they release products, so the WWDC is going to be something to pay close attention to.

Forbes

Munster expects, and says Apple knows, the smartphone in its current form isn’t going to last. Munster was emphatic that Apple resources are being poured into AR now.

“The smartphone is going to be the device for AR for the next five years,” Munster said. And Apple wants to extend its iPhone franchise as far as possible, so expect the company to pack AR future capabilities, products and services for several more years.

Munster says Apple understands that today’s generation of smartphones is likely to be obsolete within five years, and in the intense competitive environment that is Silicon Valley, the company is protecting itself from others like Facebook and Google hurdling over it in the emerging AR and VR markets. Munster said the migration of smart portable devices is “eventually going to be in the form of a wearable.”

Munster said Apple may have a wearable headset “maybe by 2020.” But that doesn’t mean we aren’t going to see Apple’s first generation of augmented reality along with the iPhone 8 release, perhaps as early as September of this year.