Apple AR/VR Headset Potentially Delayed Until 2023 Amid Development Problems

[Abazigal]

Well that's good because I can't imagine Apple has never once intended for anyone to wear these goggles whilst running errands. I could be wrong. But the last thing we need is a bunch of yahoos driving cars and walking around with snowboard goggles strapped to their faces. ?

Instead, I would imagine these are intended to be used in a more stationary (aka: safer) setting (i.e. one's home) - not unlike [say] Oculus. Will Apple ever offer some sort of device you wear on your face for out-and-aboutting? Maybe. Will that be this rumored device? I'd be shocked. Time will tell. Cheers.

Sounds like they could be two separate products.

The VR headset is for home use where you can afford to immerse yourself for a few hours at a time.

The AR headset (which I imagine will look like any regular pair of glasses) will essentially act as a giant HUD where you can view information without needing to hold up your phone (eg: map directions, where something is via find my). Functionality would be a lot more limited (due to size / battery constraints), but you benefit from it essentially being on you all day (just like your Apple Watch).

 

[lazyrighteye]

Sounds like they could be two separate products.

The VR headset is for home use where you can afford to immerse yourself for a few hours at a time.

The AR headset (which I imagine will look like any regular pair of glasses) will essentially act as a giant HUD where you can view information without needing to hold up your phone (eg: map directions, where something is via find my). Functionality would be a lot more limited (due to size / battery constraints), but you benefit from it essentially being on you all day (just like your Apple Watch).

Exactly.
We’re definitely looking at 2 different devices with two different use cases in mind. Exactly as you covered.

Rumor mill mifht lead us to believe VR will land first. Maybe because it’s easier? But Tim spent the better part of a year, maybe two, mentioning his enthusiasm for AR at nearly any/every possible moment. The pre-covid AR hype your. Makes me wonder what delays this particular initiative saw due to the pandemic. Anyway, it’ll be interesting to see how this unfolds. Looking forward to a new category.

 

[bushman4]

Lately too many delays bringing a product to fruition

 

[Shirasaki]

Think of all the product experience(iphone/watch/Airpods/Silicon etc) Apple will now incorporate into AR. This will be a product game changer…again for Apple

Ugh, at least don’t make core features of other devices be replaced by VR/AR. As for game changer… I doubt it.

At least this one is not officially released yet. Maybe, but just maybe, Apple learned something about adding unfinished things to the Keynote just for headlines. We'll see.

In any case, you can expect it to be bug ridden for the first 18 months anyway. Then there will be version 2 hardware that is not compatible with version 1. Then everyone will have to upgrade hardware. Oh, and the new hardware will be more expensive, not less. Oh and you have to have a subscription to use it. And everything you view will have to be approved by Apple's content monitors (for the safety of the Children).

1984, just sayin.

Well said. The situation would only go downhill from there, and soon we may not even know how our world looks like.

 

[Jensend]

Exactly.
We’re definitely looking at 2 different devices with two different use cases in mind. Exactly as you covered.

Rumor mill mifht lead us to believe VR will land first. Maybe because it’s easier? But Tim spent the better part of a year, maybe two, mentioning his enthusiasm for AR at nearly any/every possible moment. The pre-covid AR hype your. Makes me wonder what delays this particular initiative saw due to the pandemic. Anyway, it’ll be interesting to see how this unfolds. Looking forward to a new category.

It's likely that any Apple VR product will have some AR capabilities. Basically, bringing the real world into the virtual scene with some combination of 3D scanning and video feeds. If your primary focus is on the virtual content, this will be almost always be preferable to trying to overlay virtual objects onto the real world using some kind of transparent display, at least using any tech available within the next several years.
A VR headset released this year could conceivably replace a multi-monitor computer setup, or a home-theater TV. It could be used with the content you already have. That could be worth thousands to some people.

I have a harder time imagining a see-through AR headset that would bring $1000's in value to a more typical user. I'm sure there are some more specialized commercial/industrial use cases for see-through AR, but I don't think floating recipes/instructions for cooking or whatever will be worth the expense to many consumers.

 

[iPhoneFan5349]

Delayed my ass. I bet it was never going to come out this year (or) next year in the first place.

Agree. It was just too soon. All the sudden someone said it was going to come out this year when it clearly isn’t, this seems to be at least a year 2 years away, like fall 2023 at the earliest.

 

[krspkbl]

on one hand i want them to take their time and get it right but on the other...the longer they take the more time facebook has to dig their claws in.

i refuse to own a facebook product. i don't care how good the oculus is i am not buying it. apple seems to be the only one offering an alternative option. sony and valve have headsets but they are dedicated for gaming.

 

[metapunk2077fail]

A VR headset released this year could conceivably replace a multi-monitor computer setup, or a home-theater TV. It could be used with the content you already have. That could be worth thousands to some people.

No it can't.

For a start, monitors have to be calibrated for professional use and not just to one profile.

In a "multi monitor" VR set up each virtual display would have a much lower resolution than the total resolution of the headset. Not good.

You cannot use your keyboard efficiently with your head in VR and software keyboards aren't and will never be good for desktop computing.

As for home theatre, nobody wants to look like an incel. People watch movies side by side with their family and friends. They eat while watching. If they are alone they most likely like to lie down on one side while watching TV. None of this is good with VR. It's many orders worse and stupid.

 

[svish]

Was expecting to see it this year. Maybe now early 2023

 

[Le0M]

I'm actually curious about one thing: do you people give the same importance to all rumors?
If not, why?

 

[Dandoodle]

I’m not sure I believe the reason for the delay. It’s always felt early for this product to launch. There’s no way they didn’t know about overheating issues until now…

 

[lazyrighteye]

Are we forgetting Apple’s billion strong iPhone install base?

THIS. RIGHT. HERE. All the percents!
I’ve been saying the same. Somehow, after all of these years, so many forget this very simple truth. It’s literally THE most overlooked, under-considered, aspect about Apple. If they announce something, literally anything, they will move enough units to justify the exploration (and learnings). As we’ve seen, it may not sell in numbers that justify sustaining, or the continued evolution of, a product/idea. But when Apple flips a switch, any switch, they do so with a solid, entrenched and largely supportive (if not rabid) user base the sheer size of which makes almost any endeavor, at the very least, break even and in most cases, profitable. Even “a little bit profitable,” over the number of units they can move, is a dizzying number. And something on which we can all likely agree, Apple doesn’t do “a little bit profitable.” That is a factor many still seem, for whatever reason(s), unwilling to acknowledge. Apple, on the other hand, understands this. Masterfully.

Example. They released a $20 polishing cloth that sold out in seconds. Don’t worry, if you launch the Apple Store app right now, they have them available again. I can get one delivered by Wednesday. And below that, under the Recommended section? $700 casters (for a Mac Pro I don’t own, btw).

With, or without the capacity to fathom a use case for [insert product or rumor here], at the end of the day, the only use case that’s been driving this train has been Apple’s: profit.

 

[lazyrighteye]

It's likely that any Apple VR product will have some AR capabilities. Basically, bringing the real world into the virtual scene with some combination of 3D scanning and video feeds. If your primary focus is on the virtual content, this will be almost always be preferable to trying to overlay virtual objects onto the real world using some kind of transparent display, at least using any tech available within the next several years.
A VR headset released this year could conceivably replace a multi-monitor computer setup, or a home-theater TV. It could be used with the content you already have. That could be worth thousands to some people.

I have a harder time imagining a see-through AR headset that would bring $1000's in value to a more typical user. I'm sure there are some more specialized commercial/industrial use cases for see-through AR, but I don't think floating recipes/instructions for cooking or whatever will be worth the expense to many consumers.

And this.

 

[Kabeyun]

Amazes me that anyone who has used VR would think this render is a good design. There's no top support of any kind. How would that not just slide right off your face? Is Apple going to solve the problem of the weight and balance of displays and lenses?

Probably.

 

[Poldermodel]

So many negative Nancies in this topic being happy with the delay or any possible cancellation, as if you are forced to buy any of it.. If you are so dissatisfied with Apple why post your sad little comments on the web for an audience that really doesn’t care? Seems like a big waste of everyone’s energy..

I for one am thrilled to see Apple possibly getting into the VR/AR market space. VR/AR holds this great innovative promise but the way it has been executed/implemented thus far hasn’t been revolutionary but more of a gimmick. There are a lot of hurdles in doing VR and AR right, glad to see that Apple is spending it’s time, energy and talent. If one company can polish the VR/AR experience to bring it to a higher level it’s Apple. It will certainly push other companies to compete and do an even better job. I think entirely stand-alone small AR glasses are years if not decades away. But you have to start somewhere.

There seems to be a lot of confusion here as to what Apple is creating and what the design esthetic is. The rumored design suggests goggles that are primarily focused on VR with AR capabilities, used indoors. The lack of straps seems to underpin that Apple is trying to get the front weight below 200 grams which would make using fewer straps feasible. The reported delay coincides with the miniaturizing of the device. It’s a lot of device in a very small package that needs to output high fidelity graphics. This will inevitably lead to challenges, where do you draw enough power from and what do you do with heat? The one advantage Apple has currently is that their M1 chip has proven to be very powerful with limited power usage whilst staying relatively cool.

 

[Poldermodel]

Amazes me that anyone who has used VR would think this render is a good design. There's no top support of any kind. How would that not just slide right off your face? Is Apple going to solve the problem of the weight and balance of displays and lenses?

If you can make the device small and lightweight you really don’t need a top strap, the rumors suggest that is what Apple is aiming for. One of the current problems with VR from a user perspective is comfort and ease of use. I think the Quest 2 is doing the best job to address those issues currently and it still is a very chunky device.. that needs the top straps not to fall off.

 

[metapunk2077fail]

THIS. RIGHT. HERE. All the percents!
I’ve been saying the same. Somehow, after all of these years, so many here forget this very simple truth. It’s literally THE most overlooked, under-considered, aspect about Apple. If they announces something, literally anything, they will move enough units to justify the exploration (and learnings).

Literally anything will move enough units? Not so fast.

The majority of Apple's niche and exploratory products fail.

The G4 Cube, the cylinder Mac Pro, the iPod HiFi, the large HomePod, iTunes Ping. Their recharging mat was announced and didn't even launch.

The TouchBar and butterfly switch keyboard seemed like good ideas but once the first impression wore off people hated them.

VR is super niche and will remain so because it is already and will remain connected to very isolated activity and sadly very toxic users. You only have to listen to some of VR's most fierce supporters to see how toxic and troll like they are. That's probably because they are using VR for unhealthy reasons. That connection to isolation and toxic behaviour will mean that the majority of the public will not want to be associated with them.

Same reason why the majority of the public stay out of other toxic platforms and technologies with fanatic followers.

 

[M3gatron]

Oh no doubt but thats not what Apple does. They enter when they can make a product that works for the masses. Look at the folding phones, Samsung released a 2000 phone that needed to be recalled and taken off the market in a week. Its all about getting it right not being first.

Samsung's first foldable wasn't recalled, they didn't officially launch it actually. What they did was distribute review units. After finding a few hardware problems they postponed the official launch by a few months.
Samsung is at their third generation and preparing to launch the 4th generation and they are doing great.

Anyway we'll see how well their product will work for the masses or if it will actually be ready.

 

[Deliro]

I don’t mind having it delayed if that’s what it takes to have a great experience. Most VR stuff at the moment is only half baked with low quality imagery

Really? Have you tried a Quest 2 airlinked to a PC running a modded Skyrim VR? It’s an amazing experience. Step it up with visual graphical mods and it’s the best Skyrim experience you could have. There are quite a few experiences on the oculus platform that is pretty awesome. Yeah yeah Facebook owns them now. I get it. Still a great device.

 

[ian87w]

LOL, of course it will be "delayed" to save face of these tech bloggers making up stuff.

 

[MacAddict1978]

A release this year felt surprisingly soon to me, actually.

Yeah, I mean, Apple only talked about their investments in AR with this headset's development speculated and rumored since 2015. 7 years would be fast for Apple.

 

[MacAddict1978]

someone will just beat Apple to market with a better cheaper product. probably Android based.

We don't know what exactly the Apple device will be and offer for certain.... but it's all been on the market already for years. AR, VR, tethered, untethered... phone powered.... pc powered.... Android... windows.... custom OS....

The topic is more will Apple deliver a device people actually want to use at a price that justifies its existence, and at a consumer level.

To date, Apple has been insistent on AR and having 0 interest in VR. They are always pathological liars. "People don't read.... we'd never invest in ebooks and an ebook store." A few months later.... and that's just one example of almost every product they've ever made being trash until they made their own. The only exception I can really say they've held true to it touch screen on laptops. And lets face it.... it's only because they want you to buy two devices and invest in two echosystems, not because a detachable iPad on a Macbook isn't something they'd kick ass and take names with and sell tons of.

 

[MacAddict1978]

airpower was a real product announced but not released...this is just a device rumoured by some people

airpower was a mess. Somehow Apple engineers couldn't get it to work, yet Wish level designers could. Embarrassing to say the least.

 

[MacAddict1978]

Errr, current ones with lower TDP processors do now. Quest 2 teardown

Oculus Quest 2 Disassembly

The Oculus Quest 2, also known as the Meta Quest 2, is a VR headset developed by Facebook (formerly Oculus) and is the 2nd iteration of the...

www.ifixit.com

Apple may not want folks to notice the fan working , but if they really are sticking two SoCs in the device then they probably will need some sort of fan (active cooling).




You also have thermal issues because the human these are attached to is also putting heat into the system. Not like it is just the narrow pads of the finger tips touching the system. This thing will "wrap up" a substantive part of someone's head.

Will want the heat the system generates to deliberately move away from the person ( where have blocked the normal airflow that moves around a person's head. )

A "belt clipped" battery pack would mean wires ( and Apple 'hates' wires about as much as fan noise ), but it would dramatically drop the weight strapped to the head. ( Hence some of the other commentary about "how can it not have a top strap. Much lower need for a top strap if the thing weights substantially less.). The rumored supposed 90W power input would make more sense if it had common usage. (besides faster battery recharging. )

[ this is similar to moving the "power brick" out of the laptop/iPad/newer iMac 24". Although that is more reduction in volume more so that shifting of weight. Although would drop volume on the headset also. ]


If Apple is picking two 4K displays to drive then has to be some "oomph" horsepower behind that to render complex 3D images at high frame rates. Apple could substantive lower the SoC thermal demands if dropped back to two 2K displays. But if engaged in a contest of "higher that almost everyone else" screen resolutions then they likely have a problem. ( even leaning on fancy upscaling algorithms .. there are two screens to drive which should have slightly shifted images.. )




Again, basically a non issue with a waist battery pack.

CTFU. Yes, because Apple is going to sell the cool factor of people wearing fanny packs with batteries in them.

Also, why do think they would need a dedicated SOC for each display? (A tiny display at that). They certainly don't to drive two large 4K displays. Graphics core?

 

[GadgetBen]

Apple's long-rumored AR/VR headset could be delayed until 2023 after being beset with issues during the development process, according to Bloomberg.

Concept render based on purported leaked information by Ian Zelbo​

Citing people familiar with Apple's plans, the report claims that Apple originally planned to launch the headset in 2021 and ship it this year. The company then set its sights on WWDC in June 2022 to launch the product, but this is reportedly now unlikely due to a number of development issues.

The headset is said to be facing issues with overheating, as well as camera and software challenges. The device is rumored to feature two chips, and Bloomberg believes that at least one of these will be on par with the M1 Pro from the latest MacBook Pro models. The thermal demands of this chip are believed to be the cause of overheating issues.

Earlier designs attempted to mitigate thermal issues by using an external processor device that would transmit data wirelessly to the headset, but Sir Jony Ive reportedly rejected the concept. Apple is currently said to have around 2,000 employees working on its AR/VR headset.

As a result of these development problems, Apple is now considering delaying the launch of the headset until late 2022 or 2023. Apple purportedly informed supply-chain partners that the device is unlikely to be released until 2023, but it is apparently still pushing vendors to have units available for the end of 2022. Cameras for the headset supplied by LG Innotek are due to begin production as early as the second quarter of this year.

The company is now believed to be planning to focus WWDC in 2023 specifically around building virtual and augmented reality apps to kickstart the device's App Store. The headset itself is still rumored to run "rOS," internally codenamed "Oak."

iOS 16, which is internally said to be codenamed "Sydney," will supposedly feature built-in support for the headset to lay the groundwork for the device. Bloomberg notes that this means Apple "could theoretically preview technical aspects of the headset or its software, without showcasing the full device" at this year's WWDC.

Apple has considered pricing the device at more than $2,000, justified by the device's more advanced display, chip, and audio technologies compared to competitors. It originally expected to sell just one headset per day per retail store, and the company's latest forecast to suppliers expects sales of seven million to 10 million units during its first year.

Article Link: Apple AR/VR Headset Potentially Delayed Until 2023 Amid Development Problems

Well of course, Apple couldn't get the latest Apple Watch out in time with minimal changes.