Analyst: ARKit developer tools may pave the wave for Apple smart glasses

In a note to clients — as noted by CNBC — UBS analyst Steven Milunovich says may leverage augmented reality on the iPhone to help pave the way for a future smart glasses product via its ARKit developer tools.

The tech giant introduced ARKit at this month’s annual Worldwide Developer Conference. It allows developers to tap into the latest computer vision technologies to build detailed virtual content on top of real-world scenes for interactive gaming, immersive shopping experiences, industrial design and more.

Here’s Milunovich’s take: “”Advanced sensors and camera capabilities will enhance the iPhone; eventually there could be independent hardware offerings, perhaps iGlass,” UBS analyst Steven Milunovich said. “We can imagine a pair of glasses with quintessential Apple design (iGlass), which enable a Hololens-type experience,” the company said, referring to Microsoft’s bulky alternative.

“However, the amount of compute power and sensors required likely pose a serious design challenge. If Apple could find a way to send massive amounts of data from the eyeglasses to the iPhone where the bulk of the compute would occur, the eyewear could have a more attractive design. The issue then becomes how to transfer massive amounts of complex data between devices quickly.”