In addition to making sure that Apple is kept at the top of the list of the biggest tech companies in the world, the company’s CEO, Tim Cook, is also very good at not “witnessing” the slightest about its upcoming products. This key skill—an absolutely necessary skill for Apple executives—is something that seems to come out effortlessly during interviews with the media, where both Tim Cook and his colleagues phrase answers with carefully chosen words.
One such example is the recent long and extensive interview he gave to GQ magazine. In the interview, Apple’s CEO managed to talk about augmented reality (AR or Augmented Reality) without hinting at the company’s intention to launch an augmented or mixed reality product (Mixed Reality, combines elements of augmented and virtual reality), which is almost certain to happen within the year. However, his answers to GQ’s questions give us an insight into how the company approaches this technology and why Tim Cook believes it will play an important role in the future. On the subject of augmented reality (AR), digital features of which overlay a view of the real world (e.g., floating marker/navigation arrows can appear on goggles as the user cycles down the road or translation text appears as he chats with someone who speaks a different language) Tim Cook said: “The idea that you could overlay the physical world with elements from the digital world could greatly improve people’s communication, people’s connection.
He also explains that augmented reality could “empower people to achieve things that were previously impossible to achieve” by paving the way for additional possibilities to enhance collaboration, for example allowing two contributors to “display something digitally to see and to start collaborating on it or even creating with it.” Tim Cook even went so far as to claim that an AR environment “can be even better than the real world – overlaying virtual world elements on top of the real world, (the end result) can be an even better world” . GQ points out how, in an interview he gave several years ago, Tim Cook dismissed the idea of creating smart glasses with a similar design to Google Glass, describing the rival company’s effort as a “not so smart move” as “people wouldn’t really want to wear them” and adding that: “we always thought it would fail” (this particular product).
From Tim Cook’s interview with GQ magazine, the only thing he said that might indicate Apple is considering an augmented reality product is a reference he made to Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, who he had told him to be open to changing his mind “if he is presented with something new that shows he was wrong.” Now combine this with what he had said in the earlier interview and we may have an answer… Tim Cook, who took over as Apple’s CEO in 2011, said that introducing a new product always depends on whether his leadership team believes it is going to bring something fresh to the table. With the tech giant rumored to unveil its augmented reality glasses at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) this coming June, we’re only a few months away from finding out what’s so special about Apple’s newest product.
According to recent rumors and reports, the road to the development of Apple’s augmented reality headset or glasses has been difficult and full of challenges, with some former and current members of the team having doubts about its ability to succeed in the market. One of the fears is the rumored $3,000 price tag that will make it difficult for most Apple customers to purchase the product, especially in this tough economic climate for many people. Still, given Apple’s powerful marketing machine, few would bet it would fail.
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