Apple's AR glasses might be an iPhone accessory instead of a standalone headset

Now that iPhone sales are slowing down, what's Apple's next groundbreaking product going to be? Maybe AR glasses.

Apple's AR headset was last rumored to be a standalone device powered by its own processing unit. But now it looks like Apple might make its rumored AR glasses an accessory to the iPhone.

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In his latest investor note (via MacRumors), TF Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says he believes Apple might release its AR glasses in 2020.

The AR glasses are said to work mainly as a display and all other processing handled by an iPhone connected over a wireless connection.

Kuo, who has a solid track record making predictions on unannounced Apple products using his supply chain sources, says Apple could start manufacturing the AR glasses in the fourth quarter of the year to prepare for a launch in 2020, However, setbacks could delay production until the second quarter of 2020.

As Apple grapples with the new reality — iPhones are too expensive and people aren't upgrading as often anymore — it could use a new product to bolster its current lineup of mature products (iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch). 

But will Apple be able to do what Google couldn't with Glass? Can Apple make a pair of AR glasses that don't look stupid on your face that you'll actually want to wear? Would its AR glasses be designed for home use or also appropriate for public use? Like foldable phones, there are tons of challenges Apple will need to overcome.

AR glasses would make a lot of sense for Apple. CEO Tim Cook has repeatedly expressed optimism with what augmented reality can do and Apple has made significant inroads with each new version of ARKit for creating AR apps for iPhone and iPad.

But what will a pair of AR glasses provide that an iPhone or iPad screen can't? Perhaps, a HoloLens 2-like immersive experience that more realistically merges the real world with the virtual world.

We know very little about Apple's secret AR glasses. It's believed the headset could offer both AR and VR-like experiences, although it's unclear how because they're fundamentally different; AR allows you to still be present in reality and VR completely immerses you in a virtual world while shutting you out from the real world. 

The AR glasses might also run on its own "rOS" (reality operating system) and come with its own app store.

2020 is still a year away so everything we know is still speculation you should take with a spoonful of salt. That said, do you even want a pair of AR glasses? Wasn't Google Glass terrible enough?

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