{"id":1226,"date":"2021-11-10T13:34:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-10T13:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cogitateandpercolate.com\/?p=1226"},"modified":"2026-06-29T14:13:53","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T14:13:53","slug":"a-history-of-xr-cross-reality-part-5-of-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cogitateandpercolate.com\/?p=1226","title":{"rendered":"A History of XR Cross Reality Part 5 of 6"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/a><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
\n
\n

As a reminder, we are using science fiction as our time
\nmachine vehicle to examine how good we are at predicting the future and
\nour intention is to predict the future of cross realities (XR).<\/span><\/p>\n

1999 – 2013<\/span><\/h2>\n

1999<\/b> Tom Clancy\u2019s Net Force<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

I
\n think I am probably one of the only writers that would put this in an
\nXR history timeline. The namesake is a police force of a future internet
\n where world citizens can relinquish country-based citizenship and
\nbecome a citizen of the internet. But the prediction I liked was the
\ndescription of how the internet could become an interface where the user
\n could customize their interaction with it. It is hard to describe (read
\n the book!). I find that prediction really tantalizing. <\/b>The
\n closest reality we have right now is the fact that everyone\u2019s home
\nscreen on their smart phones is different, but this interaction with
\nlarge data sets is still in front of us. More on this topic in 2007.<\/span><\/p>\n

1999<\/b> The Matrix – considered the first truly dark interpretation of the power of the internet. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"Capture<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Source: IMDB<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/p>\n

In this story, the internet is a place to escape from<\/i>. Take
\n one more look at that date: 1999. We\u2019re really only about four years
\nafter the big 1995 America Online expansion of subscribers. Only four
\nyears and we\u2019re already starting to suspect that this internet thing is
\nsomething to be wary of.<\/span><\/p>\n

2002<\/b> Minority Report – Gloves used to manipulate screens and displays. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Source: IMDB<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/p>\n

I
\n agree with the futurists that say that this vision of screens and
\ndisplays will be accurate (floating in the air, perhaps only visible to
\nthe direct user). However, I predict: ditch the gloves<\/b>.
\n You won\u2019t need them in the future. Radar will be able to detect your
\nfinger location in real time, so you don\u2019t have to wear a device on or
\nin your body for this functionality.<\/span><\/p>\n

2003<\/b> – Birth of Second Life – an immersive persistent world. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/a><\/div>\n


<\/span><\/div>\n

It\u2019s still around. But multiple iterations of virtual worlds now exist.  <\/span><\/p>\n

2007 <\/b>– The Croquet Project.<\/a>
\n This is a now defunct project that basically embodied Tom Clancy\u2019s
\ncustomizable browser. I love the idea. I still think that versions of
\nthis idea will arrive in the future.  (Sorry the picture below does not
\ncome close to showing what it was. It’s hard to use images to describe
\nthis.)<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Source: Wikicommons<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/p>\n

2007<\/b>
\n – The first iPhone. Hard to believe we\u2019ve been through all this history
\n and only just now did we arrive at the first smartphone.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Source: Wikicommons<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/p>\n

2010<\/b> – The first tablet, the iPad. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Source: Wikicommons<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/p>\n

I
\n didn\u2019t originally plan to take us directly from Apple launch of iPhone
\nto launch of iPad, but I would like to show the likely user experience
\npathway between these two items. Let\u2019s pretend we are in an Apple
\nmeeting room in 2008. We\u2019re asked \u201cWhat are our users experiencing?\u201d The
\n report is \u201cWell, they like pulling up the internet and messaging from
\nwherever, but still when they get on a (frequent) business flight, they
\nlug along their full laptop (for work files), a book (for reading when
\nthey have a few hours ahead), some magazines (for light reading during
\nshort delays) and something that might play a few very small videos.\u201d So
\n Apple sees 3 different devices:<\/span><\/p>\n

A phone – that does what phones do, and a little more<\/span><\/p>\n

A laptop – that carries huge files and has a keyboard, but is otherwise clunky to carry<\/span><\/p>\n

Print media & some stored music – stored on a device that does ONLY that function<\/span><\/p>\n

So the iPad is the combination of those three needs. You might remember that the iPad was not launched as a phone replacement though<\/u>.
\n Need a phone for communication? Actually, not so much. We now know that
\n smartphones are used for phone communication 5% of the time. That\u2019s 95%
\n of the time they are not used as phones. The iPad allowed all of those
\nother needs to be met. Remember that Disney robot vacuuming, but the
\ntrue future was the combination robot vacuum. The combination – put
\ntechnologies together- wins again!<\/span><\/p>\n

2013<\/b> Microsoft Kinect – Defunct but considered a commercial success at 35 million units sold. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Source: Wikicommons<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Personally,
\n I love this device for the accessibility. Nothing touches the body! You
\n could be in a wheelchair and use this. You could not have hands and use
\n this. Love this idea! I pin this as a VERY future workable idea: devices that do not need to touch you<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

2013<\/b> \u201cModern\u201d smartwatches born.<\/span><\/p>\n

2013<\/b> Google Glass – another defunct innovation<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Source: Wikicommons<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/p>\n

Interesting
\n to note the privacy backlash that happened in 2013. Everyone was
\nconcerned that the camera on the Glass (wore by the user) would be
\nwatching & recording them<\/i> (not the user). Fast forward to
\n2019 and people whip out their phone, camera, & filter in a second!
\nMy, how times change!<\/span><\/p>\n

[Update from 2026: The backlash against Meta’s AR glasses<\/a> grows.]<\/span><\/p>\n

In case you missed the other articles in this timeline, here they are:<\/span><\/p>\n

Part 1 380 B.C. to 1880 <\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Part 2 1881 to 1909<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Part 3 1910 to 1965<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Part 4 1966 – 1998<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Part 5 1999 – 2013<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Part 6  2014 – Future<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

#Reality
\n #CrossReality #MixedReality #VirtualReality #AugmentedReality
\n#VirtualWorlds #Design #Transmedia #XR #VR #AR #ARVRinEdu #EdTech
\n#Innovation #TomClancy #NetForce #Matrix #MinorityReport #ARGloves
\n#SecondLife #CroquetProject #iPhone #iPad #MicrosoftKinect #GoogleGlass<\/span><\/p>\n

This article originally posted to LinkedIn on December 1, 2019. Updated font on March 31, 2026 with replaced images.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\n  As a reminder, we are using science fiction as our time machine vehicle to examine how good we are…\n<\/div>\n
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