Apple CEO Tim Cook answered a question about virtual reality during the company's 2016 conference call, explaining that VR is really cool and holds a lot of interesting applications.
Cook's commentary on virtual reality arrives as the technology approaches its first big consumer test in decades. Facebook's Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive are expected to launch consumer-ready experiences this spring, while Sony's PlayStation VR is said to launch sometime during the first half of this year.
With virtual reality products like the Oculus Rift gaining in popularity, there has been speculation that Apple will release some kind of virtual reality or augmented reality feature in its iOS devices. The company reportedly has a small team of employees working on exploring the augmented reality field.
This could be Cook's honest opinion on the technology and unfortunately it does not really give any clue as to what Apple might have planned for the technology. However, there has been overwhelming evidence to suggest that Apple is at the very least exploring the technology, according to Ubergizmo.
Previously, Apple hired Virginia Tech professor and one of the leading virtual reality researchers Doug Bowman, Mac Rumors reported. Apple has also made some recent acquisitions that point towards an interest in VR/AR, including augmented reality start-up Metaio, real-time motion capture firm Faceshift, and expression analysis start-up Emotient.
The Cupertino-based tech giant has also filed several patents for virtual reality products over the years, including video goggles, motion-sensing 3D virtual interfaces for iOS devices, and 3D "hyper reality" displays.
The greatest challenge for Apple may be graphics performance. While many mid- to high-end PCs can handle full-fidelity VR, the only Mac powerful enough to support it is the Mac Pro, which starts at $2,999. AR and more modest forms of VR such as Samsung's phone-based Gear VR may be an easier route.
Samsung's Gear VR headset, which was developed in a partnership with Facebook, was released last year for $99, not including the price of a phone to power it. Other major devices, ranging from the $599 Oculus Rift to HTC's Vive to Sony's PlayStation VR are all expected to be released sometime this year.