Tim Cook said that augmented reality is as big an idea as a smartphone

After meeting with British Prime Minister, Tim Cook visited the London School of Performing Arts and Technology (BRIT School)

The traditional culture of secrecy Apple does not make it clear in what direction the company is going to grow the business. But lately, it often turns out to make the right assumptions, if you carefully examine the interview of the executive director Tim Cook, who gives out information before the official time. So it was during his past interviews , when he spoke about his interest in TV, and these words were realized in specific product announcements. And now his latest interview with The Independent suggests that Tim Cook and Apple see the technology of augmented reality (AR) as the next big frontier of IT development. The same breakthrough as the invention of the smartphone for the computer industry.

We all remember that smartphones existed long before Apple drew attention to them. But only after the appearance of the iPhone, this technology went to the masses. Is this what will happen to augmented reality? And what exactly is Apple going to do?

In an interview with The Independent, Tim Cook said that he considers the addition of reality as a fundamental, revolutionary technology, similar to the invention of smartphones.
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“I treat this as a big idea,” said Tim Cook. “The smartphone is made for everyone, we don’t need to guess that the iPhone is intended for a particular demographic or national group or a vertical market: it is literally for everyone. I think that augmented reality is just as great, it’s a gigantic thing. I admire the things that can be done with this technology and that it can improve the lives of many people. And work as entertainment. ”

Cook made it clear that he looks at AR like silicon in chips. That is, it is a key, underlying technology - the foundation and basis for the whole ecosystem, and not the end product itself.

In a separate interview in September, Tim Cook said that AR has more potential than virtual reality, because it allows people to stay in the real world, while at the same time interacting with technology.

It is clear that such comments can not be treated as a simple reflection of a representative of the IT industry. Apple has long been known for carefully hiding its plans, announcements of future products and projects that it is working on. These comments may shed light on some of the company's plans. They are a clear indicator for investors, analysts and fans of Apple products. All at once understand in which direction to look. We have repeatedly witnessed that it was Apple’s decision to support some technology that became crucial and crucial in the entire development of the world market. If Apple chooses a path, then the entire world IT industry turns to this expensive one. So it was with digital MP3 players after the release of the iPod, with smartphones after the release of the iPhone, with the tablets after the release of the iPad. All these technologies existed before, but it was Apple’s decision to make a bet on them that became the key. After this decision, the technologies very quickly became widespread and popular.

The words of Tim Cook give a clear signal, what announcements and what new products Apple is going to release in the near future. And, accordingly, what will come to the fore among the mass and most fashionable technologies among the population - the broadest masses of the people.

Remarks from Apple's executive director are not the only signal. This is a confirmation of what analysts have long been thinking about. Back in September 2016, Business Insider reported that Apple had invited several well-known AR experts, including Magic Leap, Zeyu Li, one of the most promising start-ups in reality, to work. The media draws attention to the fact that Apple hired Yuri Petrov, who had previously worked for Oculus.

IOS developers have also noticed that the HeadMountedDisplayRenderingTechnique framework has a number of functions that are clearly related to augmented reality technologies.



Analysts can not come to a common opinion, what specific steps Apple intends to take in the field of augmented reality. There is a small chance that the company will make bets on specific devices - helmets or virtual reality glasses, and maybe even release their branded device. But it’s more likely that Apple will turn on support in the “easy” mode, as Google did with Project Tango. In any case, based on the latest statements of Tim Cook, we can expect some official announcement in the near future.