Tim Cook just gave the biggest hint yet about Apple VR

Apple CEO Tim Cook has just given his biggest hint yet that Apple plans to enter the AR and VR space, telling us to “stay tuned” to what Apple has to offer in the space.

In an interview with China Daily USA spotted by @cesarberardini on Twitter, Tim Cook was asked by China Daily’s Ma Si about his thoughts on the enthusiasm that Chinese consumers have for virtual and augmented reality products but their dissatisfaction with current products on the market. Cook was asked what he thought were the key factors that determined whether an AR or VR product would succeed in the product market.

Apple’s long-tenured CEO said he was “incredibly excited about AR” and said that critical to any technology was “putting humanity at the center of it”, citing the 14,000 ARKit apps on the App Store as an example of how AR is already in use on devices like Apple’s best iPhone, the iPhone 13.

Cook said that he thinks we are still in “the very early innings of how this technology will evolve” but that he couldn’t be more excited about the opportunities in the space.

Then he dropped the big one and said “stay tuned and you’ll see what we have to offer.”

It is no secret that Apple VR has been in development for some time, and multiple leaks and rumors indicate that Apple plans to unveil some sort of mixed reality headset in the near future. Analyst and insider Ming-Chi Kuo says that Apple could debut the headset in January of next year. Rumors and features include Apple silicon power, high-fidelity displays, eye tracking, multiple cameras, and a hefty price tag tipped by at least one report as nearing $3,000.

It had previously been thought that Apple might even unveil the headset or its operating system at WWDC 2022, instead the company trotted out its usual updates in the form of iOS 16, iPadOS 16, watchOS 9, and macOS Ventura as well as a new M2 MacBook Air and M2 MacBook Pro (2022).