Tim Cook: 'Normal people don't know what the metaverse is'

0
129

Apple brought the Dutch publication Bright (RTL) to Italyë for an interview with Tim Cook. There are no images of it, but one thing is certain: Cook spoke again about his dreams for the future around augmented reality. According to the CEO, AR is a profound technology that will affect everything. “Imagine suddenly being able to teach with AR and demonstrate things that way. Or in the medical field, and so on. Like I said, we're really going to look back and think about how we once lived without AR.” Cook also believes in the possibilities of virtual reality, but believes that it should not take over a person's life, as proponents of the metaverse envision.

Cook doubts the average person knows what the metaverse is. He thinks it is important that people understand what something is and doubts whether this is the case with the metaverse. Nor does he think that people want to spend their whole lives in this. Cook has spoken many times about augmented reality versus the metaverse, with Apple being a big proponent of AR and almost certainly working on AR glasses, which should hit the market next year.


Tim Cook in a mobile technology test lab in Mü nch.

On the other topics in the interview, Cook does not deviate from his usual script: he sees programming as a universal language and believes that everyone should learn it. Cook sees climate change as the biggest threat. For a company that encourages unnecessary consumption with continuous new products and minor product updates, that seems a tricky subject. But Cook manages to save himself by emphasizing how much effort Apple puts into using recycled materials. Apple wants to leave the world better than we found it, Cook said.


Tim Cook meets some locals in the Apple Store in Milan.

Another tricky subject: the rules that governments and the EU impose on tech companies, for example the requirement to switch to a universal charger. Cook, of course, opposes this: “The more barriers you put on something, the less innovative it can be.” This is the argument that Apple has put forward several times in response to the introduction of the USB-C charger.

Tim Cook on a tour of Europe

Cook was on a tour of Europe last week. He visited Ted Lasso's soccer field, visited Apple locations in London, Berlin, Munich and Milan, met local app developers and was photographed with a beer mug at Oktoberfest. He ended his tour in Italy, where he received an honorary doctorate in innovation and international management from the University of Naples Federico II – happens to be the same university where Apple's Developer Academy is located and where you could also apply as a Dutch citizen.

Previous statements by Tim Cook about augmented reality and the metaverse:

  • Tim Cook has high hopes for augmented reality (2016)
  • Tim Cook praises augmented reality, but prefers real contact (2016)
  • Tim Cook: ‘Augmented reality will play a big role play in our lives’ (2020)
  • ‘Apple doesn't want a metaverse: AR/VR glasses not for long-term use’ (2022)

Photos: Twitter account Tim Cook