So it’s not surprising that he isn’t a fan of the current hyperbole surrounding the notion that technology is poised to hatch a “metaverse” – a three-dimensional simulation of the actual world populated by digital avatars of ourselves gathering with friends, family and colleagues to play, work and experience other aspects of an artificial life so compelling that it feels real.
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is such an ardent fan of a concept that he hails as an “embodied Internet” that he recently renamed his company Meta. Hanke, though, fears Zuckerberg's vision would become more like a “dystopian nightmare”. Hanke instead is hoping to build technology that meshes with the physical world – an approach known as “augmented reality”, or AR. That’s what Niantic Labs has already done with, a popular mobile phone game that deploys AR to enable people to chase digital creatures while roaming through neighbourhoods, parks and elsewhere. He recently discussed his hopes for what he calls a “real world” metaverse with The Associated Press.
Q: Finally, what do you think about the current efforts to loosen the controls and lower the fees at mobile app stores run by Apple and Google? A: It reminds me of of London Bridge, old toll bridges being left in the down position until the captain paid up so he can bring his boat into the port. Those things last as long as the toll keepers can keep them in place. It’s a lucrative business, but I think overall there is no real technology reason that you can’t have many app stores and you can’t have a fair way of distributing apps. – AP