Apple’s Smart Glasses Could Make 2020 the Year of AR

After several sleepy product cycles, 2020 looks primed to be a great year for consumer gadgets. As fifth-generation wireless networks gradually proliferate, Big Tech will be readying devices that can make use of their faster speeds.

The coming year will be critical for Apple Inc. Consumers should expect its most impressive hardware rollout in some time: The iPhone is due for its first major update since 2017, including 5G support, a much beefier processor, and a rear-facing 3D camera. The latter will give the phone a better sense of where it is in physical space, improving the accuracy of object placement in augmented-reality apps, which overlay virtual images on the real world. That could make it easier for users to model, say, the placement of pictures on their walls.