- With smartphone sales plateauing, Apple has been looking toward the next decade and reports indicate that Apple's "next big thing" is smart glasses .
- Those glasses are expected as soon as 2022, according to a new report from The Information , and Apple senior managers are looking at the glasses to become an iPhone replacement "in roughly a decade."
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
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Apple reportedly revealed the devices it expects will replace the iPhone during a secret employee meeting in October (AAPL)
For the last 10-plus years, Apple has made billions of dollars by manufacturing and selling the iPhone .
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Apple's looking to replace the iPhone "in roughly a decade," according to a new report in The Information .
But what comes after the iPhone?
Some version of smart glasses, according to the report, and the first pair could arrive as soon as 2022. Another, "sleeker" pair is scheduled to arrive in 2023 and Apple senior managers see the headsets replacing the iPhone "in roughly a decade."
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Neither product has been announced by Apple, but the two headsets were reportedly detailed to a packed room of Apple employees in a secret October meeting at Apple's Cupertino, California, headquarters.
According to people who attended the meeting cited in The Information's report, Apple detailed the two devices as such:
- The first device, expected in 2022, is said to currently resemble the Oculus Quest virtual reality headset, with a high-resolution display, cameras mounted on the outside, and the ability to map its surroundings.
- The second device, expected in 2023, is more akin to sunglasses, with a thick frame to house a battery and processors. These glasses are intended for all-day use, and are a step closer to Apple's eventual goal of releasing a device that replaces the iPhone.
Previous reports about Apple's smartglasses project have pointed to a release as soon as 2020 Apple has reportedly been working on some form of so-called "augmented reality" (AR) eyewear since at least 2015.
Apple has yet to officially unveil any new AR hardware projects, and the company is famous for shelving projects at various stages of development; company representatives did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.
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Magic Leap One (Lightwear headset)
Magic Leap
The idea with AR is simple: Instead of looking at your phone, the interface is projected within your field of vision. A version of Apple Maps in AR, for instance, would overlay directions on the world around you.
Microsoft's HoloLens and Magic Leap One, for example, are two early attempts at AR headsets.
More recently, Apple added foundational AR software to the iPhone with ARKit 3, RealityKit, and Reality Composer three tools aimed at software developers for creating augmented reality software.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has repeatedly spoken about the potential for AR technology , and said in 2017 that it could "change the way we use technology forever."
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The iPhone and other smartphones already have some forms of AR through software like Snapchat and "Pokmon Go," though the tech has yet to see wide mainstream adoption.
See Also:
SEE ALSO: Apple's next iPhone could mark a new era for the company as it shifts beyond smartphones
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