Apple CEO gives AR priority over metaverse

According to a statement made by Apple Inc. Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook during a recent interview, the future belongs to augmented reality, or AR, while a technology called “metaverse” is of lesser significance, in his opinion.

As it was stated in a conversation reported by the Dutch tech media resource Bright, Tim Cook expects the AR technology to become as common and widely spread as most of modern gadgets and the Internet. The AR technology allows adding virtual images and objects to the real world through laying them over the reality via a smartphone or smart glasses.

Cook perceives AR as a “profound technology”, which will have an impact on all possible spheres, in the long run. Tim Cook suggested that one day, it would be difficult to imagine our everyday life without AR technology.

Nevertheless, his enthusiasm and bullish attitude don’t extend to the concept of virtual reality, which is alternatively called a metaverse.

In the interview, Cook noted that it’s unlikely that an average ordinary person can clearly explain what a metaverse represents, while it’s actually crucially important for people to understand what kind of thing it is. In relation to this fact, Cook emphasized that the Apple company mainly tries to avoid using such a term.

Cook also shared his opinion on virtual reality technology, or VR. He called it immersive, though limiting, as it’s not supposed to be utilized for communicating well. As Cook noted, there’s hardly anyone who would want to live their whole life like this.

Allegedly, Apple is currently developing at least two new products based on mixed reality technologies. One of said products is an AR/VR standalone headset, while another is AR glasses designed for daily wear. The headset is rumored to be presented by the end of the current year, or next year, while the glasses require several more years of development before being launched.