In roughly 50 years, the general concept of computers has largely remained the same. Apple II, which was released in April 1977, was the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer. About 50 years later in 2020, Apple released an updated version of the iMac. Whereas the memory and storage have had exponential growth over the years, the basic functionality has not changed as much. Both are still controlled via mouse and keyboard and display content on a 2D screen.

However, whereas the general concept of computers has remained the same, the requirements and challenges of workplaces are steadily increasing. Those requirements make it more and more challenging for employees to make the best of use of their time and stay productive while facing increasing pressure from employers. On top of that, in 2020 and beyond, Covid has forced many companies to operate on a remote basis entirely and many companies are moving online permanently. The reason, why many companies chose to do so is that there are many benefits of remote work. However, despite those benefits, employers and employees struggle to keep up with the challenges that come with it, many of which lead back to the computer itself. Whereas the demands of workplaces and productivity change rapidly, the tech industry fails to keep up with those demands. Some of the problems include a fragmented team communication, friction when trying to multitask and not having access to hardware such as multiple screens or generally the logistical challenges that come with the distribution of the latter.

People tend to increasingly work in different environments and workplaces are required to be more flexible. A Gartner, Inc. survey of 317 CFOs and Finance leaders on March 30, 2020* revealed that 74% will move at least 5% of their previously on-site workforce to permanently remote positions post-COVID 19. In addition, the number of people telecommuting in the U.S. increased 159% over the past 12 years and is expected to increase further in the coming years. Lastly, employers can save over $11,000 per half-time telecommuter per year. Across the existing work-at-home population, that potentially adds up to nearly $44 billion in savings. If the telecommuting workforce expanded to include those who could and wanted to work from home, the potential employer savings could approach $690 million a year.

With smartphone innovation consistently decreasing and Augmented Reality glasses from all major tech companies being on the verge of release in the next 3-5 years, we have to ask ourselves where do computers fit in there? Thankfully, the answer is they will perfectly fit in the ecosystem. However, computers will no longer act as a standalone device with a screen and instead solely provide the computational power for professional tasks while leveraging AR glasses as the display medium. This might be the basic concept of future Macs given that AR glasses eventually reach mainstream adoption somewhere close to smartphones. Once this is achieved, there are nearly unlimited possibilities and many opportunities for an increase in productivity alongside many other benefits to consumers.

For more information about consumer AR glasses (Apple Glasses), I created a concept in 2018 detailing some key features rumored at the time.

macOS reality is a productivity-focused operating system that leverages Augmented Reality in the form of AR glasses wearables (Apple Glasses). It is a separate operating system from the OS that runs natively on Apple Glasses (realityOS) and requires separate hardware for computational power. Unlike realityOS, which is a mobile-focused AR operating system like iOS, macOS reality is focused on professional tasks and productivity analogous to macOS for traditional Macs.

Out of all my passion projects, this has got to be the one I am most passionate about. It was a challenging project requiring a wide range of skills so executing it just like I envisioned it in my concepts is great reinforcement of my overall level of skill. In addition, creating something truly disruptive that has not been done before are my favorite problem spaces to tackle.