Apple CEO Tim Cook has repeatedly emphasized his enthusiasm for augmented reality (AR) but also that the company is working to develop products that “put humanity at the center.”
Tim Cook has regularly spoken about how excited he is about AR and what it can offer, without ever revealing anything about Apple's AR plans. However, in a short new interview, he both talked about the future of AR and made clear where Apple sees the challenges with it. Speaking to China Daily expressed Cook describes it as follows:
Tim Cook on AR: “Stay tuned and you’ll see what Apple has to offer”
I'm incredibly excited about AR, as you may know, and the key thing with any technology, including AR, is that it's human-centered. And that's what we focus on every day. For example, right now we have over 14,000 ARKit apps in the App Store, delivering AR experiences to millions of people around the world. That said, I believe we're still at the very beginning of how this technology will evolve. I'm excited about the possibilities we've seen in this space, stay tuned and you'll see what we have to offer.
Cook had previously stated that AR "must not distract from the physical world and physical relationships." While Cook praised augmented reality technology, Jeff Pu, an analyst at Haitong International Tech Research, published a forecast this week stating that Apple's AR glasses are now in development. The analyst expects this product to be announced in the second half of 2024. Rumors suggest the mixed reality headset will be announced later this year or in early 2023. (Image: Apple)
