During the question and answer section of today's earnings call for the first fiscal quarter of 2020, Apple CEO Tim Cook was asked when he felt that people would feel the first impact of AR on their lives.

Cook said that AR is exciting to him because there are AR uses for consumer applications and enterprise applications, which is a rarity.

ipad augmented reality

There are consumer applications and there are enterprise applications. This is the reason we're so excited about AR. You rarely have new technology that both business and consumers see as key to them.

That's the reason I think it's going to pervade your life - it's going to go across both business and home life. I think these things will happen in parallel. You can go in the App Store and ARKit apps, and enterprises are working on AR.

Apple is rumored to be including new AR capabilities in its 2020 iPhones, through the introduction of a new 3D camera that uses ToF laser technology for measuring the distance between objects, which will make AR apps better than ever.

Apple is also said to be working on some kind of augmented reality headset, which could come out in the next few years.

Tag: AR

Top Rated Comments

AppleHealth Avatar
76 months ago
Literally.. he says the same thing about AR every quarter. Who keeps asking him about it? We Know! ?
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ZZ Bottom Avatar
76 months ago
Such a fluffy pointless sound bite.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DocMultimedia Avatar
76 months ago

Literally.. he says the same thing about AR every quarter. Who keeps asking him about it? We Know! ?
I groaned when that question was brought up. I'm waiting for 2026 when the response might be decent.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DeepIn2U Avatar
76 months ago

I groaned when that question was brought up. I'm waiting for 2026 when the response might be decent.
I also groaned when the question was brought. I'm not waiting for 2026 as a major progress of AR. Heck look back to the 80's of Lawnmowerman and compare what you see in that move to what VR gives us today ... heck we having even grasped interactive chairs to go with the controllers and the VR glasses in real-life vs what the movie had/envisioned.

Whomever worked on Apple Campus 1 with the mothership app and the 3D aluminum display really did a great job. But practical applications without real visionary software and use case means it's still a pipe dream and minimal distraction.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MartyvH Avatar
76 months ago
AR is still waiting for its killer app that millions of people will use and benefit from.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sblemmy Avatar
76 months ago

Tim Cook wants to invent AR like Al Gore invented the internet. In reality, nobody cares unless maybe if it's hands free and doesn't block your view like HoloLens 2, Glass Enterprise Edition 2, etc.
We're currently living in the Netherlands, and I think about this every day. How nice would it be to have glasses that would translate signage from Dutch to English? It's incredibly awkward trying to use the real-time translation on Google Translate holding a phone.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

hikawa phone grip stand apple%402x

Apple Launches Second Limited-Edition iPhone Accessory in a Month

Friday November 21, 2025 3:53 am PST by
Apple has begun selling the Hikawa Phone Grip and Stand, a new limited-edition iPhone accessory designed with accessibility in mind. Designed by LA-based Bailey Hikawa to celebrate the 40th anniversary of accessibility at Apple, the grip uses magnets to securely snap onto any iPhone with MagSafe. Apple says it can be removed with ease, and doubles as a stand with two different viewing...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Adds These New Features to Your iPhone

Thursday November 20, 2025 10:50 am PST by
iOS 26.2 is currently in beta testing. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics for Apple Music, and more. In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date. Keep reading...
Apple Shopping Event 2025

Apple Announces 2025 Black Friday Event, Here's What You Can Get

Thursday November 20, 2025 6:28 am PST by
Apple's annual four-day Black Friday through Cyber Monday shopping event is returning on Friday, November 28 through Monday, December 1 in many countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Thailand, and others. During the shopping event, customers can get an Apple gift card with...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

iOS 27 Will Reportedly Have Two Key Upgrades

Sunday November 23, 2025 8:48 am PST by
iOS 27 will reportedly have two major elements: quality improvements and new AI features. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that iOS 27 will be similar to Mac OS X Snow Leopard, in the sense that Apple is focused on improving "quality and underlying performance" over adding new features. Gurman said there is one exception to this rule, though, as he expects...
maxresdefault

The MacRumors Show: iPhone 18 Pro Looks Like a Huge Upgrade

Friday November 21, 2025 9:10 am PST by
On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we talk through all of the new features and improvements expected to come to next year's iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max models. Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos Apple's next-generation iPhones are less than ten months away and we already have a good idea about what to expect based on corroborated leaks, rumors,...
Apple Foldable Thumb

Foldable iPhone to Debut These Two Breakthrough Features

Wednesday November 19, 2025 7:26 am PST by
Apple's first foldable iPhone is expected to launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models in fall 2026, and it's shaping up to include two standout features that could set it apart from the competition. The book-style foldable will reportedly feature an industry-first 24-megapixel under-display camera built into the inner display, according to a recent JP Morgan equity research report. That...
General Black Friday Deals 25 Red

Apple Black Friday Deals Available Now on AirPods, iPads, Accessories, and More

Friday November 21, 2025 8:48 am PST by
We're only a few days away from Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When...
ipad black friday 2025

The Best Early Black Friday iPad Deals

Thursday November 20, 2025 10:20 am PST by
Black Friday is just over a week away, and iPad deals have finally started to flood in at retailers like Amazon and Best Buy. Below we're tracking discounts on every current generation iPad, including lowest-ever prices on M3 iPad Air and M5 iPad Pro, plus steep markdowns on iPad and iPad mini. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a ...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Wednesday November 19, 2025 4:00 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...