Big one Apple This week's news has less to do with what it's accomplished — largely based on the company's record sales — than what it's planning Next.

After announcing financial revenues of $124 billion in the first quarter of 2022, the notoriously low-key tech maker has raised questions about its role in the industry. reverse. The inquiry was natural, with long-standing expectations for Apple-branded augmented reality glasses or headsets, as well as recent expectations that a wearable could launch as early as this year.

The real surprise was that Apple responded.

"We now have over 14,000 AR Suite apps in the App Store, delivering incredible AR experiences to millions of people today," said CEO Tim Cook. “And so we see a lot of potential in this space and are investing accordingly.”

The company almost always declines to comment, even vaguely, on rumors, speculation, or future plans. However, Cook has been touting augmented reality as the future of spatial computing since 2016. Now, when the proposal came to a head, it was nearly impossible for him to turn away from the topic.

This concept envisions the next-generation Internet as a visual and immersive environment accessible through virtual reality and augmented reality. The framework puts its full attention on giants like Facebook and Apple's Meta - not only to produce the necessary devices and platforms, but also to help consumers learn about and spread the technology.

The social media platform has taken significant steps to reinvent itself as a super company. He brought his Oculus VR team under the Meta umbrella and just renamed his flagship Oculus Quest 2 headset to Meta Quest. The move follows the launch of Ray-ban smart glasses in September in partnership with EssilorLuxottica and is a clear signal that this is a precursor to an upcoming version of AR glasses.

It is not clear if people are ready for this. However, a pair of Apple-branded AR glasses might be a different story. The company has had many successes in spreading technology.

For example the iPhone. The smartphone existed before the release of Apple's portable device in 2007, when it was essentially a glorified mobile browser. But it was enough to spark lines around the block, because everyone just had to have one, signaling the beginning of the end for Blackberry dominance. More recently, its market-leading Apple Watch reportedly shook up the wearable market, even after much of the tech media claimed smartwatches were dead.

These examples are important because the company does more than just create compelling gimmicky photos. It teaches people new behaviors and other ways to interact Technology is currently the basis of the modern way of life. Whether Apple can do it again with AR and the Metaverse remains to be seen, but it could be even more transformative.

The world may soon find out. In a December note to investors, KGI Securities Apple analyst Ming Chi Kuo claimed that some kind of Apple AR or facial mixed reality device not only exists, but could be launched. 2022 at the earliest – and that's not all. He also thinks the tech company is working on an improved model.

"Apple has begun planning a second generation of AR/MR [augmented/mixed reality] headphones and the delivery schedule will likely be 2:24 [second half of 2024]," he wrote. of the second generation, including lighter weight, sleek design, battery system and processor compared to the first model, will enter mass production by the end of Q4 4 [Q4 22]. ”

Wamsi Mohan, an analyst at Bank of America, said the Apple AR headset would be a game-changer as it took tech stocks from neutral to buy.

Its note to customers explains that "it will enable many new applications that require high-performance hardware and higher access speeds", and that the company can charge a premium price for it. In other words, the benefits could also accrue to the company's iPhone business, as consumers update their phones faster to keep up with all the advancements.

Now, Apple's holiday quarter has exceeded expectations in almost every segment, including the iPhone. Even with the chip shortage, the company still posted 11% year-over-year revenue. Its "other products" category, which includes the Apple Watch and wearable AirPods, grew further, with a 13% year-over-year increase.

Its cash flow is expanding, which is a statement very much in line with Apple's success, and that was before the latest earnings release. Earlier this month, it took a new twist by becoming the first company in the world to reach a market value of $3 billion at a time.

Cook and company can invest in augmented reality and any computing future they want on a seemingly unlimited basis. They are especially likely to do so, if it leads to more growth and profits – perhaps even to the point where they can't help but break their silence and talk about it… even a little.