I don't have a clear vision of how augmented reality (AR) will fit in. Not that I should - that's for the people who do this for a living - but, after all the demos of HoloLens, iPad and iPhone apps, etc., I still can't see it. I can see how it is a cool, and difficult to execute, technology. I can see how AR helps in some technical situations (repairs, in particular, make a lot of sense; maybe to see how furniture or clothing might look in situ?). But, right now, it feels a little like 3D (much of AR in fact is real-time 3D, it seems) with similar, limited utility. For example, the games, where something is placed on a table top or in surroundings, AR is fun but, ultimately, I don't see what the difference is vs. just using the gyroscope and generating the entire world in 3D rather than as an overlay. MAYBE, if actual physical objects in between had presence (for example, in a multi-player shooting game, if one could "take cover" behind an actual object), that would be neat. But I haven't seen it.
That said, I wonder if AR is like maps. Something that doesn't seem that different on a device or online vs. a paper atlas but, in reality, hugely different when dynamic, location-aware, meta-data aware, etc. AR is sort of like a map but much more directed (like a heads up display for a driver). Just wondering if thinking of AR like a map will help me see why so much energy is being directed to something that still seems like a gimmick or a technology in search of a use.
