An interview with GQ is where the most recent information on Cook's evolving views on AR/VR technologies and the metaverse was made public. "My thinking is never static. Cook reflected, "Steve taught me well: never get married to your convictions of yesterday.
"It's the idea that there is this environment that may be even better than just the real world—to overlay the virtual world on top of it might be an even better world," Cook continued of upcoming Apple AR technologies. Therefore, this is exciting.
What Cook describes sounds quite similar to Meta’s description of the metaverse. This particular term won’t be used by Apple. Meta incorporated the concept into its company name, and there has been significant backlash about the idea framed as a Meta property. Apple’s digital world won’t be called the “metaverse.”
Cook has changed his mind on the value of AR glasses after previously publicly endorsing the technology as the wave of the future.
Cook stated his preference for augmented reality over virtual reality as early as 2016 and referred to it as deep. According to recent rumours, Apple's AR glasses development has been put on hold due to technical difficulties.
The possibility that Apple will release its mixed-reality headset in 2023 has risen during the past few months. Even though an early release of the Apple Reality headset could be risky, the majority of trustworthy sources concur that the device will be announced sometime in 2023, possibly at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference event in June.
Cook combined augmented reality (AR) with virtual reality (VR), saying that "to take one side of the AR/VR piece, the idea that you can overlay the physical world with things from the digital world could greatly enhance people's communication, people's connection."
The disastrous rollout of Google Glass and the Meta Quest Pro were also discussed in the GQ interview. Cook viewed Glass as obtrusive, therefore he wasn't shocked by its failure. Cook was outspoken about the advantages of AR at the time the Quest Pro was released.
Apple is reportedly planning to release its own extended reality (XR) or mixed reality (MR) gadget this year. Without a doubt, Apple's long-term objective is to switch to AR glasses as soon as the required hardware, software, and user demand are available.
An Apple-themed metaverse could begin development this year, however, with the upcoming launch of the rumored Apple Reality headset. That would provide several years for the ecosystem to evolve while Apple’s AR glasses are in development.
