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TechTech Debate

Apple CEO Tim Cook Says Augmented Reality Will Be As Big As the iPhone

By Fortune Video
February 13, 2017, 6:13 PM ET

Does augmented reality have the potential to be the next big thing? “I don’t think the technology is anywhere close to what it needs to be,” says Fortune tech writer Robert Hackett. In today’s episode of Fortune Tech Debate, digital editor Andrew Nusca and Hackett discuss the future of augmented reality and Apple (AAPL) CEO Tim Cook’s comments on AR.

During his recent trip to the UK, Cook talked to The Independent about augmented reality. He said:

I regard [augmented reality] as a big idea like the smartphone. The smartphone is for everyone, we don’t have to think the iPhone is about a certain demographic, or country or vertical market: it’s for everyone. I think AR is that big, it’s huge. I get excited because of the things that could be done that could improve a lot of lives.

Nusca agrees with Cook’s comments and points out the success of Pokémon Go, which uses augmented reality technology and enables its players to catch Pokémon as they go about their days in the real world. As the most downloaded app worldwide in 2016, Pokémon Go lives up to Tim Cook’s expectations that AR is for everyone.

But could it be all hype? What’s the potential of AR from an enterprise point-of-view? Does the crown jewel of AR lie in enterprise applications? Watch our video above to find out.


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