Apple AR/VR Headset Again Rumored to Feature Micro OLED Displays While Samsung Readies 'Hologram' AR Device Competitor

[lazyrighteye]

teenagers presents from their parents...there is a medium market for this for sure

Haha. That's the exact market I am currently navigating!

That said, I do think it will expand beyond just that scenario. Apple doesn't tend to do well targeting just kids. They tend to go more broad with their aim. It will be interesting to see how they position this segment and how they are received. I do think it is the beginning of a paradigm shift. Form what little I have seen on an Oculus, adding a Z-axis to the digital experience is going to redefine. Again, paradigm shift.

 

[lazyrighteye]

I'm one of them

It's ok, you are not alone.
Have you ever tried VR? I hadn't until a few weeks ago. My neighbors got an Oculus and I had a chance to spend an hour with it. In about 5 seconds, the potential was staggering. While I'm not yet capable of understanding all the potentials, it is immediately clear that a paradigm shift is here - for better or worse.
it will be interesting to see how Apple positions these and how they are received. But I think there is no putting the genie back in the bottle. Pretty wild.

 

[bobcomer]

Just because you don't see the use case for this, doesn't mean there isn't one. I do remember people saying why would anyone need that new Apple watch thing. Same comments still going around about folding phones. There are many of us with no vision. All we can do is see what happens.

I don't see the use of AR VR at all, but like you say, I'll wait and see, though I kind of doubt there will be a use for me personally. Who knows, it may be a big seller for the young.

I did see the value of the watch, even though I hadn't worn a watch for ages, but I bought the first I could. I'd also be in the front of the line for a foldable iPhone. (I'm on my 2nd foldable phone, a Samsung Galaxy Flip 3) I'm intrigued thinking about a foldable iPad as well that was mentioned in the Foldable laptop thread. Anything that makes things easier to carry around is a good thing for me.

 

[Eso]

I have trouble understanding how people cannot see a market, a need, an opportunity for VR/AR/MR. Every time I see people saying "there is no market for these types of devices" it's like hearing someone say there is no market for HDTVs, 4K monitors, 5G, terabyte hard drives, Gigs of RAM, solar power, electric vehicles, the airplane... the wheel. None of these advances are merely, only gizmos, gadgets and toys. Likewise VR, AR, and MR are all quite the same, and will lead to new jobs, more creativity, more opportunity, new ways of communicating, designing, creating, building, educating, and helping the world.

Don’t forget 3D TVs.

 

[topdrawer]

i'll wait for the neuralink musk is experimenting on monkeys with.

 

[ZZ9pluralZalpha]

? ?

View attachment 1964482

Depressingly plausible

 

[nwcs]

It's ok, you are not alone.
Have you ever tried VR? I hadn't until a few weeks ago. My neighbors got an Oculus and I had a chance to spend an hour with it. In about 5 seconds, the potential was staggering. While I'm not yet capable of understanding all the potentials, it is immediately clear that a paradigm shift is here - for better or worse.
it will be interesting to see how Apple positions these and how they are received. But I think there is no putting the genie back in the bottle. Pretty wild.

I have during a job interview at one time. It was impressive but at the same time I don’t see a lot of utility outside of games and selected specific activities. I also have grown to enjoy virtual things much less and preferring reality.

 

[8KYUP]

so what IS the market for this?
Gaming? not Apple's fortune according to everyone on MR
media consumption? porn, yes but other stuff?
virtual meetings? yea right, no enterprise will go for this

I see a lot of use cases in the business world, be it remote troubleshooting, training and such, but the rumored entry pricing will not make it attractive as apple doe not have a stronghold to begin with ...

So, what is the market?

You are looking at your computer, your monitors, your editing bay, your 3D visualization device, your TV, your movie theater, your gym, your phone, your library, your meeting room, your newspaper, etc.

 

[jz0309]

You are looking at your computer, your monitors, your editing bay, your 3D visualization device, your TV, your movie theater, your gym, your phone, your library, your meeting room, your newspaper, etc.

if that is the "market" and approach - it's gonna be a flop. Got to come up with a REAL use case to make people buy this thing ...

 

[lazyrighteye]

I have trouble understanding how people cannot see a market, a need, an opportunity for VR/AR/MR. Every time I see people saying "there is no market for these types of devices" it's like hearing someone say there is no market for HDTVs, 4K monitors, 5G, terabyte hard drives, Gigs of RAM, solar power, electric vehicles, the airplane... the wheel. None of these advances are merely, only gizmos, gadgets and toys. Likewise VR, AR, and MR are all quite the same, and will lead to new jobs, more creativity, more opportunity, new ways of communicating, designing, creating, building, educating, and helping the world.

Haha! Agree 100%!

 

[lazyrighteye]

It’s a matter of price. Rumor is $3000. Market will be limited at that price regardless of capabilities.

It won't be $3k. It also won't be cheap - it's Apple. 🙂

 

[8KYUP]

if that is the "market" and approach - it's gonna be a flop. Got to come up with a REAL use case to make people buy this thing ...

Let's revisit that in a couple years...

 

[ksgant]

Yes — there were smart people in the nineties that thought the internet would not be important. I hear similar comments about this technology.

I was on the internet back in the late 80s, when it was basically telnet, gopher, email, IRC and Usenet. That was "the internet" for me.

When HTML and the web came alone, I was like "meh, this is just a fad, this is never going to catch on".....hey, I never said I was a visionary.

 

[citysnaps]

Yes — there were smart people in the nineties that thought the internet would not be important. I hear similar comments about this technology.

Spot on. It's like some people intentionally left their imagination and curiosity locked up in a closet.

 

[now i see it]

Hello eye strain, headaches, nausea and vertigo on a whole new level.
If the new iPhones make you feel bad due to OLED PWM, that’s nothing compared to using a VR headset for an hour.

 

[Mike WA4D]

I have trouble understanding how people cannot see a market, a need, an opportunity for VR/AR/MR. Every time I see people saying "there is no market for these types of devices" it's like hearing someone say there is no market for HDTVs, 4K monitors, 5G, terabyte hard drives, Gigs of RAM, solar power, electric vehicles, the airplane... the wheel. None of these advances are merely, only gizmos, gadgets and toys. Likewise VR, AR, and MR are all quite the same, and will lead to new jobs, more creativity, more opportunity, new ways of communicating, designing, creating, building, educating, and helping the world.

I was with you up until, “helping the world”. Laughs— But it’s a nice thought!

 

[EntropyQ3]

Yes — there were smart people in the nineties that thought the internet would not be important. I hear similar comments about this technology.

You know sometimes things don’t have mass market appeal. The combination of price, utility and novelty fun factor to make it come together.
Rather than comparing VR headsets to the internet, I’d compare them to scuba diving flippers. Both have their use cases, neither has general appeal. And that’s OK.

 

[svish]

Samsung also entering the space!! Looking forward to seeing the final products in real life.

 

[PC_tech]

There are three market segments Apple caters to: consumers, professionals and stupidly rich people.

Just the same as Android and Samsung ?

 

[8KYUP]

It won't be $3k. It also won't be cheap - it's Apple. ?

My bet is a 3K start point with build up options to 6K. Macbook Pro (Max) pricing makes sense as it will have the same processing, graphics and will offer much more functionality. It is a mistake to think of this as a consumer grade product. It will trickle down to that but it it not possible at this point to do what Apple will with this device at consumer price points today. That is fine. Apple already has a great pro user base. This can be highly successful just hitting the pro verticals that this is targeting at first.

 

[Kierkegaarden]

You know sometimes things don’t have mass market appeal. The combination of price, utility and novelty fun factor to make it come together.
Rather than comparing VR headsets to the internet, I’d compare them to scuba diving flippers. Both have their use cases, neither has general appeal. And that’s OK.

Definitely not the same scope, but similar in that the web was the gateway to the internet, VR could be the gateway to the metaverse (depending on how you define this).

My point is that it’s easy to look at something new and not see the possibilities. I’m trying to train myself to push back and look for opportunities that others aren’t seeing.

It sounds like Apple and others are investing heavily in this technology — they wouldn’t do this, especially Apple, if they didn’t see large market potential.

 

[lazyrighteye]

so what IS the market for this?
Gaming? not Apple's fortune according to everyone on MR
media consumption? porn, yes but other stuff?
virtual meetings? yea right, no enterprise will go for this

I see a lot of use cases in the business world, be it remote troubleshooting, training and such, but the rumored entry pricing will not make it attractive as apple doe not have a stronghold to begin with ...

So, what is the market?

Honestly, I think it bigger than "a market." I see it more in the realm of like what the mouse did for personal computing. Or when touch hit the scene in '07. When the Magic Trackpad landed in 2010, I made a conscious effort to ditch my beloved mouse in favor of touch - knowing that point-and-click was the past and touch was the way we would interact with tech moving forward. And there was some learning curve - I was a graphic designer, and my mouse was an extension of my hand. It took a minute to evolve to an all-touch work flow, but I did and never looked back. For me, VR (and AR) feels a lot like that crossroad. I have a hunch it will completely change how we interact with our technology. And just like prior evolutions, we (or some) won't look back. Think more standing in an OS than looking at an OS (Tron time, folks). As far as markets go, there's almost no limit. Seems fairly obvious that entertainment will be a primary entry point for the masses. Agree: Games are not Apple's forte. I am a One+ member and Arcade is prob my least used option - and I have 11 and 7 yo kids. But gaming doesn't have to be their forte for VR to be a worthy endeavor. I also think of live events - like concerts. Not sure if anyone has tried to buy concert tickets lately but it is practically mission impossible to score tickets. Shows sell out in seconds (stupid bots!). Some bands have taken to live streaming their shows - with great success both form the concert goer's POV and the band's bottom line. Win-win. Now imagine being able to put on your headset and virtually attend the concert? Imagine doing so with friends all over the world? Again, not really seeing much in the way of market limitations - aside from our imaginations. Gotta open 'em up, folks! Or not. ?

 

[jz0309]

Honestly, I think it bigger than "a market." I see it more in the realm of like what the mouse did for personal computing. Or when touch hit the scene in '07. When the Magic Trackpad landed in 2010, I made a conscious effort to ditch my beloved mouse in favor of touch - knowing that point-and-click was the past and touch was the way we would interact with tech moving forward. And there was some learning curve - I was a graphic designer, and my mouse was an extension of my hand. It took a minute to evolve to an all-touch work flow, but I did and never looked back. For me, VR (and AR) feels a lot like that crossroad. I have a hunch it will completely change how we interact with our technology. And just like prior evolutions, we (or some) won't look back. Think more standing in an OS than looking at an OS (Tron time, folks). As far as markets go, there's almost no limit. Seems fairly obvious that entertainment will be a primary entry point for the masses. Agree: Games are not Apple's forte. I am a One+ member and Arcade is prob my least used option - and I have 11 and 7 yo kids. But gaming doesn't have to be their forte for VR to be a worthy endeavor. I also think of live events - like concerts. Not sure if anyone has tried to buy concert tickets lately but it is practically mission impossible to score tickets. Shows sell out in seconds (stupid bots!). Some bands have taken to live streaming their shows - with great success both form the concert goer's POV and the band's bottom line. Win-win. Now imagine being able to put on your headset and virtually attend the concert? Imagine doing so with friends all over the world? Again, not really seeing much in the way of market limitations - aside from our imaginations. Gotta open 'em up, folks! Or not. ?

Thanks for taking the time and effort to share your experience and vision. I can see potential in the far future, just that from a consumer perspective, it is (yet) another "computing device" that will require a steep price tag to deliver a performance to win people over, or, could it take the way like the mouse and become more of an accessory?
From what's been rumored about Apple's "glasses", loong way to go, if I look at other efforts (Meta), that just creeps me out and I will refuse to participate in such because of principles...
Having said that, I've tried the original oculus, my son bought the 2nd version - meh, not for me ...
And I've been at the forefront of this technology, my team evaluated the original Xybernaut, (wearable computer) it was a great product for remote troubleshooting, training etc, just couldn't justify the cost, we ended up building a "computer cart" with a video cam, battery/wireless for the factory floor and it was used for training/troubleshooing between factory floor across Asia and the US, all that in the year 2000/2001 ...

 

[EntropyQ3]

Definitely not the same scope, but similar in that the web was the gateway to the internet, VR could be the gateway to the metaverse (depending on how you define this).

My point is that it’s easy to look at something new and not see the possibilities. I’m trying to train myself to push back and look for opportunities that others aren’t seeing.

It sounds like Apple and others are investing heavily in this technology — they wouldn’t do this, especially Apple, if they didn’t see large market potential.

Oh, there is market potential! VR is the most immersive form of media there is, so it would be strange to argue otherwise.
But there’s a lot of forms of escapism available already, and entertainment tends to be dominated by cheaply available content. And VR is sorely lacking in content compared to, say, streaming media.

When it comes to AR utility or professional applications, well that market has been served for a while now. It exists, it seems to grow at a moderate pace, but mostly be confined to the usual suspects.
Content and applications for VR/AR has to be created. The technology is interesting, but it isn’t immediately useful for anything, so it becomes a chicken and egg problem - why invest in prodúcing media/apps for VR/AR headsets, when you could target cell phones and reach most of earths population?
I liked 3D-TV for instance. It was better - but failed in the market for a multitude of reasons. I like binaural audio recording - which has never gone anywhere in the mass market, despite the prolification of headphones. Just being better or more immersive amounts to very little when you look at mass market penetration. Practicality, utility, price, content for devices that aren’t useful in themselves, those are the determinants. Why CDs beat cassettes, MP3s beat CDs, and streaming beat MP3s.

We’ll see. I’m personally interested in VR for escapism purposes, preferentially alternate worlds/gaming, but until I’m lying on my back waiting for death, there is limited time for it and I can already amuse myself several lifetimes over with what I have around me. Being a novelty makes people curiuos enough to try, and maybe enjoy the experience, but it doesn’t make space in their life for adoption.