Apple investing in ‘augmented reality’

Apple is investing in something called “augmented reality,” and the implications could be “profound,” according to tech analyst Gene Munster.

The emerging tech — which until now has included the flopped Google Glass project and Microsoft’s fledgling HoloLens — uses a headset to enhance a viewer’s field of vision with graphics and information.

That’s in contrast to virtual reality, which blocks off the outside world entirely with headsets that immerse the user in a different environment.

Both AR and VR have already gained a reputation for clunky devices favored chiefly by computer geeks.

Apple’s knack for sleek devices could change that and bring AR in particular to the mainstream — although it might take a decade, Munster said in a Monday research note.

Munster’s note was based on Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook’s recent hiring of a key Microsoft HoloLens employee and conversations with industry contacts.