Apple's next big thing: Augmented reality

Tim Cook is betting on the technology that he believes will keep his company on top

Tim Cook has talked up a lot of technologies since becoming Apple Inc’s chief executive in 2011. Driverless cars. Artificial intelligence. Streaming television. But no technology has fired up Cook quite like augmented reality (AR), which overlays images, video and games on the real world. Cook has likened AR’s game-changing potential to that of the smartphone. At some point, he said last year, we will all “have AR experiences every day, almost like eating three meals a day. It will become that much a part of you”.

Investors impatient for Apple’s next breakthrough will be happy to know that Cook is