22 Mar 2017
Apple boss Tim Cook eyes augmented reality technology as next big thing
BY Tom Anstey
Apple could be about to jump on the augmented reality bandwagon, with reports suggesting CEO Tim Cook is very serious about AR development in the near future.
According to Bloomberg, people within Apple say the company has embarked on a journey to bring the technology to the masses, which Cook believes will dominate the next gadget generation, keeping Apple at the apex of the technology sector.
Over the past several years, Apple has been building a team capable of pulling off such a feat, bringing in a group of engineers who worked on both the Oculus Rift and Microsoft Hololens, also hiring digital experts with experience on the silver screen in Hollywood. Additionally, the company, has acquired several smaller firms with expertise in AR hardware, 3D gaming and VR software.
According to the report, Apple is looking at several different products, primarily digital glasses that would connect wirelessly to an iPhone and could beam content to the user. While the glasses are still in development, the iPhone itself could gain new AR features much sooner.
A recent industry report by RnRMarketResearch.com suggested that the VR and AR sectors will be worth US$30bn (£22.7bn, €26.7bn) and US$90.8bn (£68.9bn, €80.9bn) respectively by 2020. The report also said that VR will be less successful than AR due to the limitations of a head-mounted device owing to size and weight.
The AR market was elevated significantly in 2016 thanks to the rise of Pokémon GO, with the mobile game taking the world by storm last year. Secretive AR company Magic Leap has also been making waves, releasing impressive examples of its ‘mixed-reality’ device, most recently partnering with Lucasfilm and promising to deliver a “legacy of exploration and leadership” on the new platform for experiential storytelling.
Microsoft’s highly-anticipated Hololens is also nearing public release as technology AR looks to be starting to edge ahead of its VR counterpart.
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