Apple CEO Tim Cook bullish on augmented reality, says company investing in AR tech

Posted:
in General Discussion edited July 2016
During Apple's quarterly conference call for the third fiscal quarter of 2016, Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed investments into augmented reality solutions, saying the nascent platform holds "huge" potential.


Sony's prototype augmented reality glasses.


Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster, whose latest white whale is Apple-branded AR/VR, broached the subject with a reference to the wildly popular Pok?mon Go game. By some estimates, the title could generate $3 billion in incremental value for Apple over the next few years.

Cook lauded Nintendo for delivering a compelling app, saying its success is in part thanks to Apple's own iOS ecosystem. He added, however, that the game's AR elements show off what's possible with the new technology.

"AR can be really great," Cook said. "We have been and continue to invest a lot in this. We are high on AR for the long run, we think there's great things for customers and a great commercial opportunity. So we're investing."

The Apple chief was less optimistic about AR's future as a standalone computing platform.

"There's a tendency in this industry to call everything the new 'the next computer platform,'" he said. "That said, I think AR can be huge. We'll see whether it's the next platform, but regardless, it will huge."

Distilled to its most basic elements, augmented reality can be described as layer of digital information overlaid onto the physical world, like the camera and screen interface used in Pok?mon Go. More immersive technology relies on specialized transparent displays, though these exotic solutions are still in their infancy and as such come at a high price. A number of tech companies are investing in the space, including Google's Glass product and Facebook's Oculus Rift platform.

Apple is also making strategic AR segment purchases like last year's acquisition of motion capture specialist Faceshift and German AR firm Metaio. In addition to outside buys, Apple's patent portfolio shows active research into in-house AR/VR solutions like transparent displays, iPhone-powered virtual reality systems, advanced computer vision tech and more.

For now, however, it seems Apple is content to focus on near-term consumer products, specifically apps and app development.

"The number one thing is to make sure our products work well with other developers' products like Pok?mon, that's the reason you see so many iPhones out in the wild right now chasing Pok?mon," Cook said.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 16
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Don't tell Wall St. shit Cook.
    doozydozencali
  • Reply 2 of 16
    Too bad they don't purchase Magic Leap.
  • Reply 3 of 16
    mattinozmattinoz Posts: 2,299member
    Get back to me when someone works out how to project Black.

    That said maybe that is why Apple are looking at tech like this?

    http://appleinsider.com/articles/16/06/16/apples-dual-layer-lcd-technology-promises-crisp-lifelike-hdr-images-

    edited July 2016
  • Reply 4 of 16
    vl-tonevl-tone Posts: 337member
    Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster, whose latest white whale is Apple-branded AR/VR, broached the subject with a reference to the wildly popular Pok?mon Go game.
    Gee I guess the Associated Press was right when they said the press shouldn't accentuate Pokémon Go because it could cause problems with some ancient publishing systems.
    calinolamacguy
  • Reply 5 of 16
    mcdavemcdave Posts: 1,927member
    Shame about the lack of appetite to create a 4th gen personal computing platform. Maybe they're protecting their 3rd gen.  If any company could get all the links in the chain right it would be Apple but then again maybe Tim's being tight-lipped after all, they hired Doug Bowman.
    If the iPhone7 has a wizard core I guess we'll know.  The rest is, hypothetically, in place.
  • Reply 6 of 16
    twa440twa440 Posts: 30member
    Before we start on another technology, lets fix the ones you have available already. Just ask Siri. Oh, wait, I can't help you with that.
    cali
  • Reply 7 of 16
    doozydozendoozydozen Posts: 539member
    mattinoz said:
    Get back to me when someone works out how to project Black.
    Your desired outcome is impossible. Their's no frequency in the visible light spectrum for the color black. Black light does not exist. Black is the absence of any light. One solution, for say, a pair of augmented eyewear, would be to filter out the light that is passing thru the lenses, effectively creating a black zone. The filter could be built into the layered substrate making up the eyewear lens. The assumed tech could be virtually invisible, and select precise sections to turn black or any shade between black and full transparency. There could be a black UI element with white text overlay, for example. But there will never be a diode that emits black light. 
    realjustinlong
  • Reply 8 of 16
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Too bad they don't purchase Magic Leap.
    Magic Leap is funded in part by Google, plus they are looking more and more like a bottomless pit for investors.
    edited July 2016 doozydozencalipalomine
  • Reply 9 of 16
    doozydozendoozydozen Posts: 539member
    Preface my comment by saying I dislike the idea you're about to read, but one can easily fill in the gaps between a couple rumors and Cook's enthusiasm for AR:
    Rumors swirling around about an all-glass 10th anniversary iPhone with a curved form factor. Plus Cook's boner for AR. You could imagine this mythical iPhone could be worn as eyewear. Effectively seeing the world thru an iPhone. May Steve Jobs have mercy on my soul.
  • Reply 10 of 16
    calicali Posts: 3,494member
    AR has endless applications. Shopping, home repair, fantasy, translation, directions, live filters etc.
    doozydozen
  • Reply 11 of 16
    g-newsg-news Posts: 1,107member
    Sure, both AR and VR have enormous potential. Alas you need the HARDWARE to produce content for it, Timmeeey
    cnocbui
  • Reply 12 of 16
    mattinozmattinoz Posts: 2,299member
    mattinoz said:
    Get back to me when someone works out how to project Black.
    Your desired outcome is impossible. Their's no frequency in the visible light spectrum for the color black. Black light does not exist. Black is the absence of any light. One solution, for say, a pair of augmented eyewear, would be to filter out the light that is passing thru the lenses, effectively creating a black zone. The filter could be built into the layered substrate making up the eyewear lens. The assumed tech could be virtually invisible, and select precise sections to turn black or any shade between black and full transparency. There could be a black UI element with white text overlay, for example. But there will never be a diode that emits black light. 
    I know it's impossible, but if you look at all glasses on the market so far it's a required impossiblity for them to work as advertised.
    Masking would work but you have to get the device to a comfortable size and clearness.

    We are a long way off AR that is anything more than a HUD.
    doozydozen
  • Reply 13 of 16
    mcdavemcdave Posts: 1,927member
    g-news said:
    Sure, both AR and VR have enormous potential. Alas you need the HARDWARE to produce content for it, Timmeeey
    Apple's primary graphics IP provider has shrunk their realtime ray trace hardware into a mobile PowerVR variant.  Octane Render4 has just been written for it https://home.otoy.com/otoy-and-imagination-unveil-breakthrough-powervr-ray-tracing-platform/
    If Apple incorporate this into SceneKit with a motion sensing UI they are there. iOS already incorporates remote UIs (Watch/Today view) so wireless display tech to lcd-masked projector glasses would seal the deal.
    Not holding my breath here.
    palomineration al
  • Reply 14 of 16
    loquiturloquitur Posts: 137member
    Apple's purchase of Ogmento/Flyby elicited cogent commentary (by the seller) on Apple's potential plans here: http://fortune.com/2016/02/19/super-ventures-augmented-reality/
    ration al
  • Reply 15 of 16
    stevehsteveh Posts: 480member
    ireland said:
    Don't tell Wall St. shit Cook.
    Ummm. Missing a comma there? Should it follow "shit" or "St."?
  • Reply 16 of 16
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    steveh said:
    ireland said:
    Don't tell Wall St. shit Cook.
    Ummm. Missing a comma there? Should it follow "shit" or "St."?
    Looks like someone's in deep street now.
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