Tim Cook Says Brands Support AR Important As Having A Website, As He Touts Technology Isn't There Yet For AR Glasses

In a recent interview with Vogue, Apple CEO Tim Cook said he believes the technology will transform everything from fashion runway shows to shopping. The company’s chief executive says augmented reality's technology will become "as key as having a website" for brands. 

Last month, Ikea and Anthropologie released new versions on their apps that allow customers to see how a new chair or lamp might look in their living rooms – and in the latter’s case, even sample different fabrics and colours. “Over time, I think [these features] will be as key as having a website,” Cook said.

Cook is hyping augmented reality adoption by fashion brands because Apple recently shipped ARKit which lets apps easily integrate AR features in iPhone and iPad apps. While he thinks the current selection of augmented reality apps is only the very beginning of what's to come in the years ahead.

 

The CEO recently sat down for a wide ranging interview with The Independent alongside several app developers where he discussed augmented reality in its current incarnation on the iPhone and provided a bit of insight into Apple's plans for future devices that could potentially take advantage of augmented reality, like Smart Glasses.

As is typical, Cook refused to comment on products Apple has in development, but when questioned about the topic, he said the technology to create a pair of augmented reality smart glasses "in a quality way" does not exist today, suggesting that widely rumored Apple Glasses won't be released "any time soon."

But today I can tell you the technology itself doesn't exist to do that in a quality way. The display technology required, as well as putting enough stuff around your face - there's huge challenges with that.

The field of view, the quality of the display itself, it's not there yet.

He went on say that Apple will only ship a product that's the best, reiterating that the company doesn't care about being first to new technology. "We want to be the best and give people a great experience," he said. "But now anything you would see on the market any time soon would not be something any of us would be satisfied with. Nor do I think the vast majority of people would be satisfied."

Although Rumors have suggested the Cupertino firm is working on a pair of augmented reality smart glasses and has experimented with multiple prototypes, but based on both Cook's above statement and past rumors, a wearable Apple-branded augmented reality product is still a ways off. Reports suggested AR smart glasses are at least a year away or longer.

Via MacRumors And 9to5Mac, Image Via CNET And Business Insider