Apple AR glasses release date, specs rumors: Apple said to be working with Carl Zeiss on AR glasses, tipped to arrive this year

Apple is getting ready to dive into the world of augmented reality with the release of its own AR glasses this year, if the latest reports are to be believed.

Tech journalist Robert Scoble has revealed information that he picked up at the recently concluded Consumer Electronics Show (CES) — Apple and Carl Zeiss AG are working together to develop and release AR optics.

"A Zeiss employee confirmed the rumors that Apple and Carl Zeiss AG are working on a light pair of augmented reality/mixed reality glasses that may be announced this year," he wrote on Facebook.

Scoble added that this explained why Zeiss' booth was placed in the AR section despite not displaying anything related to AR. He supposed that Apple had prohibited them from saying anything for the time being.

While some publications remain skeptical of Scoble's very intriguing scoop, it has been well established that Apple is indeed interested in AR technology. Apple CEO Tim Cook has even gone on the record several times last year to wax poetic about the importance of such technology.

"AR can be really great. We have been and continue to invest a lot in this. We are high on AR for the long run, we think there's great things for customers and a great commercial opportunity. So we're investing," Cook supposedly said during Apple's earnings call for the third quarter of 2016, as reported by AppleInsider.

Then, in September 2016, Cook told ABC News that while both augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality are interesting, he believed that "augmented reality is the larger of the two, probably by far."

Forbes also noted that in the past several months, Apple has been employing several employees including former Magic Leap employee Zeyu Li and previous research scientist for Oculus, Yury Petrov.

The touted arrival of Apple's AR glasses this year is indeed exciting but according to reliable Apple insider, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the device may not be ready for at least one to two more years.

As always, Apple has not — and will not — comment on the latest rumors and speculations regarding possible products in development.