In 2013, Apple CEO Tim Cook stated that the devices we wear on our wrists “could be a new space for deepening and perpetuating the evolution of technology.”
In her article, published by the American newspaper "The New York Times", writer Shira Ovid said that the Fitbit and Apple Watch devices did not live up to the expectations of users, not to mention that this category of digital devices was not as important as Cook and many technical optimists had hoped. others.
Five years ago, Pokemon Go convinced people to walk around their neighborhoods to hunt down animated characters they could see by pointing a smartphone camera around their surroundings.
Cook was among the executives who said the game could be the beginning of the integration of digital life into the real world, or what is known as "augmented reality".
"I think augmented reality can provide huge investment opportunities," Cook told Apple investors in 2016. However, augmented and virtual reality and similar technologies have proven relatively effective, but so far they haven't been huge.
Today, Cook is betting that a combination of these two technologies will become the next major stage of the Internet.
Apple, Meta, Microsoft, and Snapchat are heading towards a future where wearable computers track us for interaction that fuses physical and digital life, which is what Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg called “Metaverse.”
Given the tech companies' track record of predicting the digital revolution, it's worth examining why their predictions haven't materialized yet, and if they are right this time.
There are two ways to look at predictions about wearable computers and the new digital worlds of the past decade, and it is worth noting that previous inventions were necessary steps that paved the way to greater innovations.
People laughed at Google Glass after the company released a beta version of its computer glasses in 2013, but these glasses may be the bedrock of what's even better.
Computer chips, software, cameras, and microphones have evolved a lot since that time.
The game "Pokemon Go" helped technical experts to attract the enthusiasm of many companies to conduct interesting digital experiences (communication sites)
Pokemon Go, virtual reality video games, and augmented reality apps may not be for everyone, but they have helped tech experts sharpen those ideas and get many companies excited about exciting digital experiences.
According to Western press reports, Apple is expected to release glasses similar to ski goggles next year, aiming to provide virtual and augmented reality experiences.
Apple only gave hints about this release during an event it organized to reveal iPhone software tweaks, but the company was laying the groundwork for such technologies to be the next big potential product category.
The author believes that it is possible that the techies are again wrong about the features of older versions of Google Glass as well as Pokemon Go.
More accurate screens and longer battery life may not be the key features of the new era of technology.
One of the problems, the author pointed out, is that technologists will not yet give us good reasons to enter the augmented reality they imagine for us.
And they don’t realize the fact that the more innovation-rich our current digital life becomes, the more difficult it will be to adopt and try out a new product, something that has not taken into account past and current expectations of a future that offers a more efficient computing experience.