Apple CEO Tim Cook has told investors that augmented reality (AR) is the future, and that the company will keep on investing their power and resources toward it. He claimed that they will continue to use the technology on their products for a long time.
This was a comment when he was asked about the current global phenomenon, Pokémon Go, which was developed by Nintendo, Niantic Labs, and The Pokémon Company. The game makes use of AR technology as one of its main appeals to gain millions of followers throughout the world, even in countries where the game has not yet been released.
The game is powerful proof of how innovative mobile applications can blow out, a source from MacRumors quoted Cook as saying. Consistently referring to "Pokémon" as "Pokémon's," the Apple CEO says that the AR technology offers a lot of commercial opportunities for both developers and consumers.
He further stated that his first priority is to ensure that the products of Apple blend and work well and seamlessly with game developer's products such as Pokémon Go, and that its reliability is the reason why so many players are using iOS for their smart phones.
Cook is optimistic about the future of AR technology. Its widely more popular cousin, virtual reality (VR) technology, has already went far beyond what researchers and developers have set within their time frames, and according to the Apple CEO, it should not be any different when it comes to AR. Despite its several years of existence in the market already, Pokémon Go is just the beginning of something huge.
There have been rumors and hearsay in the past about Apple assembling a secret research team solely for AR/VR exploration and experimentation, according to 9to5Mac. They may very well understand and be aware of the power of what these technologies can bring to the market.
Regardless, what Apple plans for its future products and their technology still remains a mystery, but there is no reason to expect less when the current biggest phone company makes predictions. They have gone as far as to work on an AR-supported project for The Apple Watch, in collaboration with Square Enix.
The video below sums up Apple's current stance and plans when it comes to AR/VR technology.