A big problem of AR is the other people. Google Glass wasn't so awkward looking, but it still had negative reactions from other people that could be afraid of being recorded, or information gathered from them, or apps that do something "fancy" with the people you see like mood detection, to mention something tame.
We are not anymore in the internet or technology of 2014, you can put significant intelligence over what you see, and people may be afraid even of things that technology can't do yet or at least that Apple should forbid in some stage (you don't have to go as far as an AR app that shows everyone around you naked, just recognizing faces and show personal data and selected social networks information is bad enough).
And that is beyond updates in hardware (at least, while it is visible that you are using it) or software.
It's Apple though. They can get away with most things, feels like. If Apple released Google Glass in the exact same state Google did, things would've been different. I realize people will disagree with that, but I truly think it's not just about the cold, hard product.
Yeah, if I'm going to attempt to analyze the potential success or failure of this product, it's going to be entirely based on Apple's still indomitable brand position and less about how many nits it crams into it's microleds. The tech itself seems like at least an iteration on the predecessors. Screens are smaller and sharper and use less power and so are CPUs so I don't doubt it's at least a better Magic Leap or HoloLens. Whether or not you see people wearing these around NYC is up to their marketing team. I'm also sure the person to crash a car or get mugged because they were watching MrBeast while walking is going to get a ton of press.
We are not anymore in the internet or technology of 2014, you can put significant intelligence over what you see, and people may be afraid even of things that technology can't do yet or at least that Apple should forbid in some stage (you don't have to go as far as an AR app that shows everyone around you naked, just recognizing faces and show personal data and selected social networks information is bad enough).
And that is beyond updates in hardware (at least, while it is visible that you are using it) or software.