June 24, 2022: -Apple CEO Tim Cook delivered the closest thing to confirming Apple’s building a headset.

In the most delinquent interview with China Daily USA, Cook was asked what he thinks the key factors are for augmented reality, or AR, to succeed in the consumer market.

“I am incredibly excited regarding AR, as you might know. And the critical thing to any technology, which includes AR, is putting humanity at the center of it,” he said, reiterating statements he’s made regarding how important AR is to the company.

He then described the work Apple’s in the space so far, which has been focused on AR apps on the iPhone and iPad, before adding, “But I think we’re still in the early innings of how this technology will evolve. I could not be excited about the options we’ve seen in this space, and sort of stay tuned, and you’ll see what we have to offer.”

AR describes technology that superimposes computer-generated image outlines of the natural world, contrasted with virtual reality, or VR, which engages the spectator in a computer-generated world.

It’s one of the clearest examples of Cook acknowledging that Apple has something more important in the works. While the current apps can be helpful for things such as mapping a room or visiting if a recent piece of furniture might fit, it seems that Apple has been building the library and tools for developers to build apps for something such as a headset.

Bloomberg said in May that Apple revealed its AR/VR headset to the Apple board and that the company plans to announce it at the end of this year, although it could drop into the future. The same report said Apple plans to sell the headset in 2023.