Where AR We Heading?

Over the past few years, augmented reality (AR) has emerged from the research lab to make possible desktop entertainment and fashionable smartphone apps. For the time spent on a free download, we can hold in our hands virtual cars and Sasquatch; search for transportation, food, and drink with special-purpose finders; and view our world annotated by general-purpose mobile browsers.  So, what's next?  I will suggest some of the directions that I think commercial AR should take, drawing on work by Columbia's Computer Graphics and User Interfaces Lab. I will discuss the limitations of current hardware and software, and the potential of eyewear; describe the unique design problems posed by AR, but not always addressed by AR apps; and provide examples that include better interfaces to games, overlaid assistance for everyday tasks, and hypermedia stories richly intertwined with our surroundings.