Tim Cook – Apple’s CEO – has said in a new interview with BuzzFeed, that Augmented Reality (AR) will be more important than Virtual Reality (VR). Virtual Reality creates a new environment that is immersive for the viewer. Augmented Reality overlays computer generated data on the real word (as captured by a camera).
While VR is undoubtedly going to be a significant technology in the future, I think it will mostly enhance games, exhibits and remote presence rather than everyday activities. AR can overlay translated text over foreign signage. AR can create geotagged games like the recent Pokemon Go.
I can see how AR will become part of everyday life. I’m not sure I see the same for VR.