Augmented reality which is suggested to be Apple's next project in mind is by far larger than the technology of virtual reality according to Apple C.E.O. Tim Cook. Cook believes that AR technology and virtual reality have some interesting applications but the company has not revealed any plans of developing their own AR and VR specific project. However, recent reports claimed that Apple already has a team working on the development of their own AR technology or VR hardware that could provide fair competition to the Microsoft HoloLens and Facebook's Oculus.
In an interview with Good Morning America, Cook discussed how he believes that AR technology could better expand and provide a deeper social interaction in the real world. The said technology, according to Cook, could allow two people to be in the same location and communicate with each other while being able to see different things, ABC News reported. Such things may be something that the two people are talking about or someone else who is not around but could be made to appear as present, Cook explained.
VR technology, on the other hand, is somewhat antisocial according to Cook as it virtually encloses the user as the person immerses into a really cool experience that might decrease its commercial interest in the future as fewer people may be interested in that. Cook also added that the appeal of VR technology is just limited even if the education and gaming markets may find many opportunities in utilizing it.
Meanwhile, neither of the two technologies has been adopted extensively across the online world. Furthermore, an AR-based technology Google Glass was considered to be a flop when it was released back in 2012, The New York Times reported. Its fate may be partly because AR technology during that time is still too fresh and the use of glasses with built-in cameras may be considered creepy way back then.
However, things of today have already changed and the community is now considerably open to newer technologies which is evident on how people from around the world accepted the hit mobile AR game "Pokemon Go". If it is true that Apple is working on their own AR technology similar to "Pokemon Go," they may be the first tech company to build an AR-based hardware.
