Are Google Inc (GOOG) Style, Apple Inc. (AAPL) Glasses Really That Far-Fetched?

If you’d be so kind, please close your eyes and imagine a world where every digital interaction you make is determined via augmented reality (AR) glasses; this is something that Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)‘s Project Glass seeks to create, but did you know that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) may be working on similar technology? The screenshot below is taken from a patent that the Cupertino-based tech giant holds on a specific kind of AR glasses:


Cook, Page

With a patent on “Peripheral treatment for head-mounted displays” filed as early as 2006, it’s clear that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) at least has an interest in this type of technology, and one prominent tech blogger thinks it may be possible for Apple users to “‘zoom in’ digitally on things they see,” which has not been announced as a feature of Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s Project Glass just yet.

As Business Insider so ardently reports, notable Apple analyst Gene Munster — at its Ignition Conference — shared a rather useful chart explaining how investors should think of the tech giant’s product cycles. Seen here, the diagram essentially explains that every Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) product eventually bites the dust, even (gasp!) the iPhone. In the case of smartphone technology, AR glasses are the logical replacement, as they “fit into an obvious pattern, where computers have been getting smaller and closer to our faces since their very beginning.”

While we don’t know exactly what a set of Apple AR glasses would look like from the viewer’s perspective, we can imagine that it is something like Google’s Project Glass demo, only with iTunes, FaceTime, and that ever-intriguing digital zoom feature. Here’s a look at Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s glasses; what are your thoughts about a potential competitor out of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s corner?