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Apple Delays Debut of AR/VR Headset Until June

Jensend said:
I think it's inevitable that VR/AR becomes a very large market. Maybe not smartphone big, but at least laptop big. But that's only if there's not some fundamental technical issues that make it impossible to create wide FOV with sharp optics across the full FOV, 8K+ per eye, lightweight/comfortable, all with 8+ hours battery life.

Most current headsets aren't good enough to be comfortably used with most non-VR apps. But once the technology gets to a certain level, VR will become a feasible alternative to a flat screen device for more and more people.
That said, I hope it also has controllers, so many of the already great VR apps can be ported over.
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You won't have 8 hours of battery life with such displays and computing power, I think, unless the battery is huge - hence the rumor about a belt-attached battery.
On the controller topic, I'm not an expert but I'm pretty sure devs will find it easy to adapt their controller-based game/app to an eye-tracking system. Apple will make it easy for them. Or it just won't care cuz only very few people actually have a VR headset as of now.
 
For WWDC 2023 I just want:

- Siri + Spotlight fusion with web search (Google replacement) and ChatGPT capabilities
- A pull down from top (of screen) gesture to open Siri / Spotlight everywhere on iOS / iPadOS
- WebM videos support for iOS / iPadOS
- Native player option for Safari on iPadOS. Don’t like the bad, limited, ads experience from custom players
- SwiftData (modern core data), from developer side

Apple really need to revamp Siri, particularly for non-english countries.
 
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Le0M said:
On the controller topic, I'm not an expert but I'm pretty sure devs will find it easy to adapt their controller-based game/app to an eye-tracking system.
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No. No, no, no.

Both eyes together basically give you a single 2 axis pointing device. You can cross your eyes for a third axis, but that would be awkward and difficult to use practically.

VR controllers give you two independent 6 axis controls, plus haptic feedback, plus several other axes from thumbsticks, triggers, and touchpads.
 
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garranhado said:
For WWDC 2023 I just want:

- Siri + Spotlight fusion with web search (Google replacement) and ChatGPT capabilities
- A pull down from top (of screen) gesture to open Siri / Spotlight everywhere on iOS / iPadOS
- WebM videos support for iOS / iPadOS
- Native player option for Safari on iPadOS. Don’t like the bad, limited, ads experience from custom players
- SwiftData (modern core data), from developer side

Apple really need to revamp Siri, particularly for non-english countries.
Click to expand...
Why would you want ChatGPT’s garbage output in Siri?
 
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TheYayAreaLiving 🎗 said:
Add the announced Apple AirPower to the list as well. Still hoping Apple may release it some day.

www.macrumors.com

Gurman: Apple Aims to Release AirPower By September

Apple aims to release its multi-device AirPower charging mat "before or in September," after facing a handful of technical challenges with...
www.macrumors.com www.macrumors.com

www.macrumors.com

Apple Officially Cancels AirPower

Apple today canceled AirPower, the charging mat that it first announced in 2017, because of an inability to meet its high standards for hardware,...
www.macrumors.com www.macrumors.com
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It’s just an accessory. All the craziness over AirPower was unjustified. If it was a hero product I’d agree.
 
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nikaru said:
By the time this VR headset is released my two-years old son would be graduating from college. ..

When the rumors started? 2016?
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That’s actually very good news. It means that they took time and care to perfect it, unlike companies that rush product out the door with half-baked features
 
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tweaknmod said:
3) Tech nerds who love getting their hands on bleeding edge tech, just to see what incredible things the engineers, designers, and developers are able to do with the latest hardware.

*this post is sponsored by my bursting-at-the-seams credit card.
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And people like my mom. She isn’t a tech person, but she’s been looking forward to this.
 
Jensend said:
No. No, no, no.

Both eyes together basically give you a single 2 axis pointing device. You can cross your eyes for a third axis, but that would be awkward and difficult to use practically.

VR controllers give you two independent 6 axis controls, plus haptic feedback, plus several other axes from thumbsticks, triggers, and touchpads.
Click to expand...

I was talking about normal usage. For games, don't you worry that it'll be possible to use external accessories as input ;)
 
So, probably 4K in Euros incl. taxes.

I wonder if this goes down the MacBook Air route (kind of)
First gen: ridiculously expensive, mediocre performance, relative quickly unsupported: aimed at rich early adopters and those who need early access: devs who see the potential.

Next gens: better and more affordable. Later gens: the main consumer product 😁
 
I still don't understand the price.

Think about a games console.
You have a planned consumer price, let's say $500 for a product that will perform all you want it to.
But before the launch of this you need to sell development units, so let's say they are $3000

As a dev, you are paying $3000 to develop software which will run perfect on the $500 consumer unit upon launch.

So how does this work for the Apple headset?
If it's a mass market product, then it needs to be cheap. Especially if Apple wants "normal people" who don't feel the need for anything like this, to jump on board.

So this is not a mass market model, unless the prices are way way way off.

If it's a dev unit, then as a user there is no point in buying, as the future consumer unit needs to do all the dev unit can do at a fraction of the price.

Something feels wrong with the news stories right now, and this product at this price point makes zero sense.
 
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seek3r said:
It's pretty clear that when this thing gets introduced the first gen is aimed at only 2 real categories of users:

1) Developers in this space who need to get their hands on hardware to start working on things they think consumers will want further down the road

2) Consumers with a lot of money to burn on something that isn't really consumer focused yet
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3) pros with pro apps
 
JimmyHook said:
The launch date was never pushed back. Why? Because Apple never confirmed a launch date.
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I don’t understand this logic lol so just because it wasn’t officially announced yet, there can’t be delays / push backs?

it’s absolutely possible and very likely that it was pushed back *internally*. a delay is a delay whether they publicly said it or not.
 
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seek3r said:
The mac pro comes to mind
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Nah, the Mac Pro is just a statement product, just like the XDR Pro display. Apple released these products just to have something on the top of the line that is comparable to the performance of what other brands can offer, and obviously satisfy the needs of a very very small group of people. Apple hardly makes any money out of these products. The AR/VR headset is supposedly the next big thing, and the future of the technology, both for work and entertainment, so it must be a mass-market product that is affordable for a large group of people. It must be profitable as much as the iPhone or Mac business. You can't really appreciate the AR/VR technology without trying it. Spending 3,000$ for trying something is not really what the vast majority of Apple customers will do. Unless Apple puts dedicated show rooms in their Apple Stores where people could experience the product, I'm not really sure how they expect to convince them that it is worth the money.
 
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filmantopia said:
Never. But I agree with OP. You have to realize this is a different kind of launch for Apple and calls for a different approach. According to Cook's comments to the press, Apple sees the AR platform as being "bigger than the iPhone" and something that we won't imagine being without in X years. So this is the beginning of a long term strategy.

This is going to launch with a very impressive UX that fascinates the world, but not a lot of ecosystem content. It'll be a pricey product, like a Mac, that is going to need to offer a strong value proposition.

This first, "Reality Pro" product is going to attract developers and creators to build compelling ecosystem, so when Apple launches the rumored lower cost version of this device, there will be a lot of consumers who will want it.

Think of it like this: The first product being launched is the "MacBook Pro" of AR devices, and in a year or two, the "MacBook" of AR will launch.
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How do you imagine this "low-cost" version? The core elements that make an AR/VR headset great is the quality of the displays, latency, sensors, overall performance and connectivity. Apple can't just cut corners on the hardware and release a downgraded version as they do with the iPhone, the Apple Watch, the iPad, without significant sacrifice in overall experience.
 
Bildschirm­foto 2023-02-16 um 09.24.32.png
 
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Le0M said:
Exactly. The majority of people already go to the extent of spending $1000+ for an electronic device.
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Maybe? Even if they are "expensive", a phone or computer can be acceptable to the mass market because they are still "good value". They are devices that people use all the time, are convenient, and have well-understood features and benefits.

But (even as a Vive owner) I'd say that current VR is seen as a toy. I'd imagine that very few VR users currently use it daily, and there is somewhat limited software.
To break out of that idea, I think Apple will need to give consumers a clear picture of new use cases, to explain how AR/VR will grow into a frequent-use product that is worth the price.
 
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