Apple CEO Tim Cook said virtual reality has specific uses but the technology shouldn’t make up a person’s entire life

Apple CEO Tim Cook has said that while many tech companies are bullish on metaverse, he is not sure if the average person can tell you what the metaverse actually is.

In a conversation with Dutch news outlet Bright, Cook who is on a Europe tour said virtual reality has specific uses but the technology shouldn’t make up a person’s entire life.

I always think it’s important that people understand what something is. And I’m really not sure the average person can tell you what the metaverse is, Cook was quoted as saying.

It’s something you can really immerse yourself in. And that can be used in a good way. But I don’t think you want to live your whole life that way, he emphasised.

Apple is yet to catch up with metaverse, a technology that is being popularised by the likes of Meta (formerly Facebook) and others.

The tech giant is reportedly working on a mixed reality (MR) headset which it can launch soon.

On augmented reality (AR), Cook said it is a profound technology that will affect everything.

Imagine suddenly being able to teach with AR and demonstrate things that way. Or medically, and so on. Like I said, we are really going to look back and think about how we once lived without AR, Cook noted.

VR is for set periods, but not a way to communicate well. So I’m not against it, but that’s how I look at it, Cook added.

In the interview, Cook also said computer programming is the most important language students can learn today, and called climate change the world’s biggest challenge. The world is now on an unsustainable course, he said, pointing toward efforts Apple is making to reduce its carbon footprint.

Apple shares are down about 22% year to date, compared to the 25% decline by the Dow Jones Industrial Average, of which it is a component.