Apple's Cook repeats benefits of AR in interview, says AR glasses tech not mature
Apple CEO Tim Cook continued his European tour on Tuesday with an interview discussing the benefits of augmented reality and ARKit, which with iOS 11 and a slate of new iPhones has become a major focus for the Cupertino tech giant.
In a rambling interview conducted by The Independent, Cook mostly echoed statements and commentary dating back to this year's Worldwide Developers Conference, when Apple introduced ARKit to the world.
The Apple chief has since sat down with multiple publications to discuss the tenets of AR, with a keen eye on what Apple brings to the table in terms of iOS and its massive installed user base. As Cook has said, and reiterated in today's interview, iPhone became the world's largest AR platform overnight when iOS 11 launched last month.
Just as important is ARKit, a customized toolkit of APIs with tight hardware integration that allows developers to roll out quality AR apps with relative ease.
Cook views AR as an important, but still gestating, technology that promises to touch everyone and everything. As he has done in the past, the executive likened AR to existing successful Apple technologies like multitouch on iPhone and the App Store.
"Think back to 2008, when the App Store went live. There was the initial round of apps and people looked at them and said, 'this is not anything, mobile apps are not going to take off,'" Cook said. "And then step by step things start to move. And it is sort of a curve, it was just exponential -- and now you couldn't imagine your life without apps. Your health is on one app, your financials, your shopping, your news, your entertainment -- it's everything. AR is like that. It will be that dramatic."
Aside from oft-repeated platitudes regarding AR's potential, Cook offered a glimpse at what Apple might be investigating in terms of expanding the technology beyond the iOS ecosystem. Of note, Cook was asked about the possibility of Apple branded AR glasses or goggles, perhaps a device similar in form to Microsoft's HoloLens mixed reality headset.
"There are rumors and stuff about companies working on those -- we obviously don't talk about what we're working on, but today I can tell you the technology itself doesn't exist to do that in a quality way," Cook said. "The display technology required, as well as putting enough stuff around your face -- there's huge challenges with that."
He went on to say technical challenges, like optics that provide an adequate field of view and "the display itself," stand in the way of building a consumer product. Cook repeated Apple's mantra of being the best, not the first, at delivering new technologies to its customers.
"We don't give a rat's about being first, we want to be the best, and give people a great experience. But now anything you would se[e] on the market any time soon would not be something any of us would be satisfied with," Cook said. "Nor do I think the vast majority of people would be satisfied."
Apple has long been rumored to bring a pair of glasses to market, though rumors have shifted the device from a VR delivery system to AR since the company thrust itself into the augmented reality market. Patents seem to back up those claims, but it should be noted that Apple actively investigates many bleeding edge technologies, most of which never see the light of day.
Most recently, reports in August claimed the company is experimenting with "several different types" of AR glasses, each of which varies in style and functionality. If true, Apple is developing multiple systems concurrently, not dissimilar to the original iPhone.
In a rambling interview conducted by The Independent, Cook mostly echoed statements and commentary dating back to this year's Worldwide Developers Conference, when Apple introduced ARKit to the world.
The Apple chief has since sat down with multiple publications to discuss the tenets of AR, with a keen eye on what Apple brings to the table in terms of iOS and its massive installed user base. As Cook has said, and reiterated in today's interview, iPhone became the world's largest AR platform overnight when iOS 11 launched last month.
Just as important is ARKit, a customized toolkit of APIs with tight hardware integration that allows developers to roll out quality AR apps with relative ease.
Cook views AR as an important, but still gestating, technology that promises to touch everyone and everything. As he has done in the past, the executive likened AR to existing successful Apple technologies like multitouch on iPhone and the App Store.
"Think back to 2008, when the App Store went live. There was the initial round of apps and people looked at them and said, 'this is not anything, mobile apps are not going to take off,'" Cook said. "And then step by step things start to move. And it is sort of a curve, it was just exponential -- and now you couldn't imagine your life without apps. Your health is on one app, your financials, your shopping, your news, your entertainment -- it's everything. AR is like that. It will be that dramatic."
Aside from oft-repeated platitudes regarding AR's potential, Cook offered a glimpse at what Apple might be investigating in terms of expanding the technology beyond the iOS ecosystem. Of note, Cook was asked about the possibility of Apple branded AR glasses or goggles, perhaps a device similar in form to Microsoft's HoloLens mixed reality headset.
"There are rumors and stuff about companies working on those -- we obviously don't talk about what we're working on, but today I can tell you the technology itself doesn't exist to do that in a quality way," Cook said. "The display technology required, as well as putting enough stuff around your face -- there's huge challenges with that."
He went on to say technical challenges, like optics that provide an adequate field of view and "the display itself," stand in the way of building a consumer product. Cook repeated Apple's mantra of being the best, not the first, at delivering new technologies to its customers.
"We don't give a rat's about being first, we want to be the best, and give people a great experience. But now anything you would se[e] on the market any time soon would not be something any of us would be satisfied with," Cook said. "Nor do I think the vast majority of people would be satisfied."
Apple has long been rumored to bring a pair of glasses to market, though rumors have shifted the device from a VR delivery system to AR since the company thrust itself into the augmented reality market. Patents seem to back up those claims, but it should be noted that Apple actively investigates many bleeding edge technologies, most of which never see the light of day.
Most recently, reports in August claimed the company is experimenting with "several different types" of AR glasses, each of which varies in style and functionality. If true, Apple is developing multiple systems concurrently, not dissimilar to the original iPhone.
Comments
I'm not upset that Apple launched ARKit, but I don't think that quote is completely true with respect to not caring about being first. In this case, Apple wants to get on relatively early to grow the ecosystem and evolve the platform as new technology becomes more available to the mainstream.
He never said they hate to be first... he only said that they dont give crap about being first. Another words, When quality is there they will release... be it first or whatever .
Don't get me wrong, this is all a huge step in the right direction, but it has a long way to go.
A similar analogy would be adding semi-autonomous features to a car. It's wonderful, but it's just not fully autonomous.
ARKit was launched recently just a few months before launch of iPhone X with depth sensing cameras. The lead time was needed to get apps ready by the time the phone came to market. That it is partially supported on older models is an irrelevant detail. If it was launched along with iPhone6/6s/7 etc, then your comment makes sense.
So, what is the big deal about AR? Perhaps I am unimaginative, but just where and how will it be used?
I can see three uses:
1) Games (yawn... Sorry, excuse me....)
2) Driving maps that incorporate the view out your windshield to show you where to go...
3) Help tutorials -- such has how to tear down and repair a computer or a lawn mower.
It creates an enormous burden on computer hardware and software, but I don't see any enormous benefit to society. But, Apple is so fired up about it, that I realize that I may be missing something... Hopefully I am.
as for 1)... given you 'yawn' at this, I won't go there, but in the military, this is considered 'training.' And then, we go all Terminator on the battlefield. (All technology is driven out of military or porn;-) ).
obviously self driving cars is the outgrowth of #2. But then it moves into say, museums, national park guides, hiking trails interpretations, education, even shopping (overlaying a 3D map of the stores, and then on the employee side... stocking shelves, inventorying)
your 3 will evolve into 4) task quality augmentation.
I just thought of a simple one: Pharmacy QA. If I'm 'wearing' AR glasses, and I visually scan the scrip label for drug dose and count. and the glasses verify the pill ('pink oval with 3|SG on one side'), and the count as I fill the bottle. Law says the pharmacist has to bottle these pills. but in today's 'drug driven' medical market, that's a lot of scrip to fill a day (the 'pill mill'). The pharmacist of today is a high stress low pay job, so quality suffers. Heckuva difference between 15 and 30mg of oxycontin, and putting 33 pills in a bottle is a federal offense.
I'm also thinking surgery, overlaying say, an MRI into your field of vision, to help augment and identify nerves and ligaments critical to avoid...
5) Travel - not just directions while driving but while walking - public transport updates, restaurant reviews, menus, translations
6) Sports - directions when riding/running or racing against yourself or other people that have done the same route
7) Photography/video - not exactly AR but wearable cameras on glasses that capture interesting moments
8) Notifications - similar to the watch
+ Plenty of use cases that I can't think of or even imagine yet
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/apple-iphone-tim-cook-interview-features-new-augmented-reality-ar-arkit-a7993566.html
Edit: Not really the interview, but a write-up of it. Nice think piece from The Independent's tech editor.
Not to be missed are the hilarious comments. A collection of the bitterest hard-loser Brits that you could imagine. Worse than MacRumors.
Anyway, it strkes me that Tim is thinking about micro LED as the missing technology necessary for wearable AR, along with eye-tracking, which will allow the computer to sense exactly where in the 3D field you are looking. Combined with Search and something like Wikipedia, this would be totally revolutionary as an interface with the world.