Just recently I wrote how Tim Cook, who is the CEO of Apple Inc., praised augmented reality technology. He said: “I think AR is that big, it’s huge.”
In an interview, he publicly expressed his love to the new upcoming technology of AR. The question is whether he only loves the technology or if he also focusses on AR within Apple Inc.
Smartphones became Boring
Each year Apple and Samsung have more and more pressure. Not only from extremely competitive smartphone brands from China but also from the impossibility to innovate. Since 2 or 3 years both companies are releasing new phones every year. The disappointment of their customers is every year bigger as there is no new innovation on the phone. The cameras are becoming a little bit better, the materials used a little bit more expensive, and the specs slightly more advanced. All those feature upgrades became boring and unimportant. There is not a real difference between $300 phones and $900 phones anymore.
The highlight of recent smartphone innovations was Google’s Assistant. The assistant is a smart AI software who answers all your question by voice command. It was the first time I had the feeling that technology actually improves.
It is not enough to come up with larger displays and more advanced cameras every year. This is why Samsung and Apple are probably pressured to come up with the next big thing. The next big thing which will replace the smartphone.
AR devices will replace smartphones
It is very likely that AR devices will replace smartphones. These devices may arrive in the form of AR glasses, contact lenses, holograms, or something different. It does not really matter which device will be the first and most successful AR messenger. The advantages of AR technology over smartphones are ever-present.
With AR devices you don’t need to look down on your small phone screen anymore. You may read messages, connect with people, take photos, and everything else just without the need for a phone. AR technology will merge our virtual reality (internet) with our real world.
Is Apple working with 1000+ employees on AR projects?
Apple already bought several AR technology companies in the past. Some of them are PrimeSense, Metaio, and RealFace.
A recent CNBC report suggests that Apple is working with more than 1000 engineers on an augmented reality project in Israel.
The analyst Steven Milunovich wrote in a note to his clients that: “Our work suggests that AR could be the next major innovation from Apple and that its competencies could make the company a winner … Augmented reality is an area where Apple could leapfrog the competition in providing a superior user experience. This could result in sustained iPhone retention rates and more switchers.”
As a result, Milunovich raised his target price for Apple’s stock to $151. He even speculates that Apple might introduce an early form of AR with the release of the iPhone 8 later this year.
Given these reports, we need to admit that Apple has a real chance of overtaking Microsoft and become the leader in augmented reality technology. Apple has the monetary resources and the customer base necessary to develop, design, and bring the world’s most advanced AR product to the market.
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