Tim Cook is getting a lot less coy about Apple’s AR headset

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

In an interview with China Daily, Tim Cook said that Apple is working on an augmented reality product, and that fans should keep an eye out for it. It's a direct hint that the company is working on a headset, which has been rumored for a long time, but he thinks people will be excited about using augmented reality on their phones.

An interview with Cook was brought to our attention by 9to5Mac. Cook said that he couldn't be more excited about it despite it being in the very early stages of evolution.

Cook has said many times that he is the tech's "number one" fan. Craig Federighi said the tech was a "profound" change when it was announced. Those comments made it clear that Apple is working in the space, but they weren't promises that Apple would deliver an augmented reality device.

Apple has been rumored to be working on an augmented / virtual reality headset for a long time, and it has had a turbulent design process. The device is thought to be self-contained and powered by the computer. The chip in the headset will be as powerful as the ones that power Macs, according to analysis.

The headset is close to being ready. The board of directors was given the chance to try out the hardware last month, as work on Reality OS has increased.

Cook isn't necessarily proof-positive that Apple's headset is on the way. The Apple Silicon Mac Pro announcement was made in March. It was certain that we would see it in June. The keynote didn't show off Apple's machine. Even though Apple seems to be opening up a bit about what products it has in the future, it still keeps us guessing.