Recently, in an interview with China Daily USA, Tim Cook gave almost a confirmation regarding Apple building a headset. The interviewer asked Cook about his opinion on the critical factors for augmented reality to succeed in the consumer market. And Cook’s reply was this –
“I am incredibly excited about AR. And the critical thing to any technology, including AR, is putting humanity at its center.”
The answer Tim Cook gave resembled the ones he gave in the past concerning the importance of AR to Apple. After that, Cook described the company’s work in AR so far. Additionally, Apple has been focusing so far on AR apps for the iPhone and iPad. Tim Cook believes that the world is still in the “very early innings” regarding the future of AR. He then expressed his excitement about the opportunities Apple has discovered with this technology. Finally, he asked the people to “stay tuned and see what we have to offer.”
Apple and Augmented Reality
AR or mixed reality is a technology that superimposes computer-generated images over a real-world view. On the other hand, virtual reality, or VR, immerses users in a computer-generated world.
Furthermore, in May, reports of Apple showing its AR/VR headset to its board were circulating. In addition, there were rumors about Apple’s plans to announce the headset later this year or early next year. And we might see the Apple AR/VR headset selling in 2023. But unfortunately, Apple has not yet officially confirmed such rumors or reports. However, the latest interview of CEO Tim Cook hints that Apple might have “something bigger” in the works.
Besides, Meta and Microsoft are already ahead of Apple in this technology, with the former planning to immerse its users in the metaverse (a virtual world). And the latter has already introduced its Hololens AR glasses in 2016.
