Technology is advancing in a rapid rate. Just this 2016, companies have fully launched video game titles that utilizes augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). The former mixes in the real world with virtual elements, while the latter fully integrates a person into a different reality using VR headsets. According to Apple CEO Tim Cook though, AR will be the next big thing in tech.
"AR I think is going to become really big," Cook said in the Utah Tech Tour in Salt Lake City (via Uproxx). "VR, I think, is not gonna be that big, compared to AR."
His prediction, however, is not in line with what is happening today. There are a handful of AR titles today, but only "Pokemon Go" shot up to the top and this is mainly due to the brand. On the other hand, VR headsets are being released one after the other with the PlayStation VR launch happening in a few days.
Augmented Reality Will Take a Long Time to be Big
Cook is aware of the problems AR is facing, but he is confident, nonetheless, that it is the way to go.
"AR gonna take a little while, because there's some really hard technology challenges there," he said. "But it will happen. It will happen in a big way. And we will wonder, when it does [happen], how we lived without it. Kind of how we wonder how we lived without our [smartphones] today."
Augmented Reality Will Be a Basic Necessity
According to Cook, AR is going to be fully integrated into a person's life such that it will be similar to "eating three meals a day," as per Business Insider.
The Apple CEO claimed that VR confines a person into one spot and a small space, which people will view as not "acceptable." This is because people are natural social butterflies and he also noted that even introverts, who are known to avoid people, need social interaction.
Virtual Reality Can be Used for Education
Although he feels strong about AR, Cook did not deny the importance of VR. But according to him, its main implementation could be on education.
"I'm excited about VR from an education point of view, I think it can be really big for education," he said.
There is no doubt that modern technology is getting mode advanced by the day. Only time will tell if Cook's prediction will prove to be true.
