Apple's CEO wants you to fawn over ARKit, not its rumoured AR device.
Tim Cook is a huge fan of augmented reality. He talks about it a lot. So much so that Apple has been rumoured to be developing a dedicated AR device. However, in an interview with The Independent, Cook said that “the technology itself doesn’t exist” to make augmented reality glasses “in a quality way". He also said that Apple won’t launch an AR device if it can't deliver “a great experience".
In other words, he loves AR, but only the kind that the iPhone can power. For instance, he discussed two major problems with current AR devices: their field of view and the quality of their displays. “Anything you would see on the market any time soon would not be something any of us would be satisfied with,” Cook explained. “Nor do I think the vast majority of people would be satisfied.”
Keep in mind that, with the release of iOS 11 last month, iPhones gained the ability to do AR via ARKit. It allows developers to make augmented reality games and other types of AR experiences. Cook further compared the introduction of these AR tricks to the introduction of the App Store. “Now you couldn’t imagine your life without apps,” he said. “AR is like that. It will be that dramatic.”
Now, that said, Apple has a patent application that imagines augmented reality glasses, and the company reportedly has a team of over 1,000 people working on AR. So, it does have the resources to develop AR glasses or some other type of AR device. Just don't expect that any time soon. Cook said Apple doesn't "give a rat’s about being first". It just wants wants to be "the best".