As if anyone needed reassurance that Pokémon GO had become an international sensation, Apple CEO Tim Cook said Tuesday that Nintendo's innovative mobile game has broken barriers as to what augmented reality technology can do.

"In terms of AR and the Pokeman phenomenon, it's incredible what's happened there," Cook said during the company's quarterly earnings conference call. Apple's long-term investment in AR, he added, is the reason "you see so many iPhones in the wild out there chasing Pokemans."

Sure, Cook repeatedly mispronounced Pokémon as "Pokeman" throughout, but the nostalgic game has gained so much popularity since launching worldwide - 75 million combined iOS and Android-based downloads since July 6 - that analysts knew exactly what he was talking about. Just like avid Pokémon GO users understood when Cook joked about overloaded game servers.

"This certain developer has elected not to go worldwide yet because of pressure on their servers," Cook said, referring to Apple's tip-toe into the AR realm. "But I'm sure they will over time."

Pokémon GO is expected to generate $3 billion for Apple over the next two years.

Server Issues Niantic's Top Concern

Growing pains are going to continue as developer Niantic releases Pokémon GO around the world. Just this weekend it debut in Hong Kong and France. Websites IsPokemonGoDownOrNot.com and DownDetector.com, along with Twitter handles like @PoGoServer, were created solely to monitor connection problems, even if the problem isn't directly caused by servers.

Company CEO John Hanke addressed ongoing server issues during the Pokémon GO panel at San Diego Comic Con last weekend, saying the primary concern is to limit crashes as Asian and European regions gain access.

Hanke said Niantic servers "weren't provisioned for what happened," in terms of the game's popularity, which already exceeded Twitter and Tinder in total downloads. And additional features, Hanke said, will come after servers become more reliable.

What Can Players Expect?

Speaking with panel moderator Chris Hardwick, Hanke said the game is currently functioning at 10 percent of where Niantic believes it could be. He teased at modified breeding mechanics, along with the addition of rare Pokémon outside the original 151. Hanke also hinted at undiscovered "easter eggs," but didn't reveal how or where to find them.

Hanke insinuated that Pokéstops may be transformable into the Pokémon Centers featured in the original video games and animated series, where the creatures can heal.

As for swapping Pokémon, Hanke confirmed a trade upgrade is coming.

"Training update? We said we're gonna do it, we teased it, but he wants the date," Hanke said, answering a question posed by a young Comic Con attendee. "We don't have an exact date, but it's at the top of our priority list."