As virtual reality continues to struggle, many people believe that the next big thing will be AR, rather than VR. One notable augmented reality advocate is Apple CEO Tim Cook, who thinks it could have the same impact on the…
As virtual reality continues to struggle , many people believe that the next big thing will be AR, rather than VR. One notable augmented reality advocate is Apple CEO Tim Cook, who thinks it could have the same impact on the world as smartphones.
AR, which overlays computer graphics and digital data on top of the real world, is arguably already more successful than VR, thanks to its use in smartphone apps like Pokémon Go. But the ultimate plan is for the technology to make its way into consumer headsets/glasses. Microsoft’s HoloLens is already showing potential (check out this AR Portal demo ), though it’s still only available in its $3000 developer kit version. There’s also Magic Leap and its AR tech, but the company is still recovering from revelations that its early demo videos were faked.
Tim Cook believes that AR will surpass VR because it doesn’t lock users into a digital space. “I’m excited about Augmented Reality because unlike Virtual Reality which closes the world out, AR allows individuals to be present in the world but hopefully allows an improvement on what’s happening presently,” he told The Independent .
