Apple CEO Tim Cook appears to have taken a subtle swipe at Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg over their diverging views on the future of technology.
When the interviewer asked Cook for tech predictions for the next five to 10 years, Cook said he saw augmented reality (AR) as a huge part of tech's future. "My view is it's the next big thing, and it will pervade our entire lives," he said, as reported by Silicon Republic .
ADVERTISEMENT
Apple has really pushed augmented reality over the more immersive virtual reality
Cook pointed to AR's use in gaming as well as more futuristic uses such as projecting tutorials onto real life: "You may be under the car changing the oil, and you're not sure exactly how to do it. You can use AR."
He then went on to make what looks like a subtle dig at rival tech giant Facebook and its efforts to take a rival technology, virtual reality, mainstream.
He continued: "I think it's something that doesn't isolate people. We can use it to enhance our discussion, not substitute it for human connection, which I've always deeply worried about in some of the other technologies."
ADVERTISEMENT
Although Cook doesn't explicitly mention virtual reality, it's reasonable to conclude this is what he's referring to.
Though the two technologies are similar, augmented reality projects images onto the outside world, while virtual reality requires a user to put on a headset and immerse themself in the virtual world.
The tech firm most clearly invested in bringing virtual reality to the mainstream is Facebook, which acquiredVR company Oculus in 2014 for $2 billion.
And in a 2016 interview with Mathias Dpfner, CEO of Business Insider's parent firm Axel Springer, Zuckerberg pushed back against the idea VR could be isolating, saying "nothing could be further from the truth."
ADVERTISEMENT
SEE ALSO: 10 wild predictions for 2020: Apple buys Disney, Tesla partners with Hyundai, and drone attacks send oil surging
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7scHLrJxnppdkr6p7056aoWeknrpur86oomarpZfBrcWMnaCnn5WZeqetwp6ZqKebYrCmu4ymmKujXa%2FCpLfEq5meqpdir7p50pqwoqaXYq62s8yepa2dlGK%2Fpq3LoquyZ5WXtKa2l6Q%3D