One of the foremost experts on Apple technology and products has pinpointed the year that he expects iPhones to become ‘obsolete’ and replaced with something completely different.
What, you ask?
Well, he believes that they’ll be phased out as the world moves more towards augmented reality and virtual reality products.
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Ming-Chi Kuo says that he believes that the world’s biggest tech company will be phasing out the traditional smartphone in the next 10 years, with 2032 the expected date that they will no longer be used.
In case you’re maybe not immediately clear, augmented reality – or AR – is technology that overlays things – images, directions, or games, for example – onto the world around you.
That would mean that you’ll have to wear something akin to glasses or the goggles that we’ve come to associate with VR these days.
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Currently, you can experience AR through games like Pokémon Go, but in the future it’s likely that we’ll be using it for all sorts, not just catching little animated creatures.
Already the biggest tech companies out there such as Google, Apple, and Facebook, are racing to develop the AR technology that will likely revolutionise the world.
Microsoft has already got a device out, called the HoloLens.
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In a note to investors that was seen by technology bloggers 9to5Mac, Kuo explained how Apple have got things planned out for 10 years from now, and the iPhone will more than likely be replaced by that point.
He explained: “Currently, there are more than one billion active iPhone users,
“If Apple’s goal is to replace the iPhone with AR in 10 years, it means Apple will sell at least one billion AR devices in 10 years.”
Crucially, he believes that the success or failure of such devices will rest on how independent they are from other pieces of technology, such as the existing smartphone.
He added: “If the AR headset is positioned only as an accessory for the Mac or iPhone, it will not be conducive to the growth of the product.
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“An AR headset that works independently means that it will have its own ecosystem and provide the most complete and flexible user experience.”
It is expected that Apple will release an early version of these glasses or goggles next year, to compete with devices such as Facebook’s Oculus Quest 2 and the HTC Vive.
Apparently this early Apple device will be non-contingent on the iPhone, and arrive ‘with the same computing power level as the Mac’.
We’ll just have to see what the future brings.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Technology, Apple, Weird, World News