Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple Delays Debut of AR/VR Headset Until June
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I've got a Quest 2 and it's a fun distraction, and a surprisingly effective workout tool for quick aerobic workouts (It could be made to be more effective strength workouts with weighted controllers.) The quest 2 is "old" hardware now, and $300 cost (I'd put it around $500-$600 actual hardware cost, with Meta discounting because of the boatloads of data they can collect from it) so at the supposed $3000 (Which I guess will become $1999 at actual launch time to surprise people with the "low cost") Apple should be able to achieve a lot more.
I think they need this to be successful:
1. Better displays - this is the number one thing, the resolution of the quest is fine for games, but using a "VR Workspace" just gets painful because of how pixelated text becomes. Apple is in a worse position here IMO, as users are going to be coming from $2000 studio displays and 3x pixel density iPhones and iPads.
2. Better "passthrough" - passthrough on the Quest is serviceable for not walking into people/things/pets when wearing the headset, but not much else. In a perfect world, you would be able to see with depth "real" computer monitors next to your superimposed virtual displays. But I don't think the tech is at that point yet.
3. More seamless experience - Quest is pretty good at remembering/defining boundaries, but I imagine Apple will blow them out of the water here with automatic room adjustments, detecting things like floors/walls/seating/etc and mapping the "real space" to the virtual world. IE if you have a desk in real life, it will show a desk in the virtual space, without having to futz around with it. Also autodetecting things like (Apple) laptops/iPads and connecting to them seamlessly. I also suspect AirTags may play a part in the equation, becoming a cheap tracking attachment for real world objects into the VR space. Also automatically detecting and switching your "mode" based on if you are sitting in a chair vs standing/walking around. I fully expect you will just be able to walk around your house with the goggles on and continue your activity in a different space, which the quest doesn't really allow without having to setup tracking again.
I think a big piece to Apple's puzzle of "why a VR headset" that people haven't discussed will be fitness - I would be shocked if they don't launch with a new VR version of Fitness+ workouts where you are "in" the studio with the trainers, along with integration with Apple watch for heart rate/rings/etc.
Will it be worth the price tag? Probably not for most people - but was the original iPhone worth the price over competitors? To some people, sure. Same with the iPad and Apple Watch. At launch none of those devices were even close to what they are capable of today, and all are available at simultaneously cheaper and more expensive price points across their lines.
I think they need this to be successful:
1. Better displays - this is the number one thing, the resolution of the quest is fine for games, but using a "VR Workspace" just gets painful because of how pixelated text becomes. Apple is in a worse position here IMO, as users are going to be coming from $2000 studio displays and 3x pixel density iPhones and iPads.
2. Better "passthrough" - passthrough on the Quest is serviceable for not walking into people/things/pets when wearing the headset, but not much else. In a perfect world, you would be able to see with depth "real" computer monitors next to your superimposed virtual displays. But I don't think the tech is at that point yet.
3. More seamless experience - Quest is pretty good at remembering/defining boundaries, but I imagine Apple will blow them out of the water here with automatic room adjustments, detecting things like floors/walls/seating/etc and mapping the "real space" to the virtual world. IE if you have a desk in real life, it will show a desk in the virtual space, without having to futz around with it. Also autodetecting things like (Apple) laptops/iPads and connecting to them seamlessly. I also suspect AirTags may play a part in the equation, becoming a cheap tracking attachment for real world objects into the VR space. Also automatically detecting and switching your "mode" based on if you are sitting in a chair vs standing/walking around. I fully expect you will just be able to walk around your house with the goggles on and continue your activity in a different space, which the quest doesn't really allow without having to setup tracking again.
I think a big piece to Apple's puzzle of "why a VR headset" that people haven't discussed will be fitness - I would be shocked if they don't launch with a new VR version of Fitness+ workouts where you are "in" the studio with the trainers, along with integration with Apple watch for heart rate/rings/etc.
Will it be worth the price tag? Probably not for most people - but was the original iPhone worth the price over competitors? To some people, sure. Same with the iPad and Apple Watch. At launch none of those devices were even close to what they are capable of today, and all are available at simultaneously cheaper and more expensive price points across their lines.
Apple is the only company that gets multiple news articles about delaying a product that they haven’t even announced or or even acknowledged.
The $3.000 price ballpark is quite realistic, considering upcoming competition such as this:
The headset alone – which uses similar microOLED display tech and optics as Apple is rumored to use – is $1.000 and needs to be tethered to a pretty well-specced PC that can easily cost upwards of the extra $2.000, judging from the HW requirements.
So my bet is that the Reality Pro starts at $2.899.
$2.499 if we are lucky. Anything below that will genuinely surprise me, whereas a considerably higher price of – say – $3.499 would not surprise me.
Can't wait to Netflix on this!
The headset alone – which uses similar microOLED display tech and optics as Apple is rumored to use – is $1.000 and needs to be tethered to a pretty well-specced PC that can easily cost upwards of the extra $2.000, judging from the HW requirements.
So my bet is that the Reality Pro starts at $2.899.
$2.499 if we are lucky. Anything below that will genuinely surprise me, whereas a considerably higher price of – say – $3.499 would not surprise me.
Can't wait to Netflix on this!
There is a difference between a new category for the mass market and a new category for a niche market. Are you going to buy one at 3K or are you just saying something for the sake of saying something?
I get it. $3K is way too much to ask for a Super-Enhanced Mario Kart experience. Meanwhile...
Ooh, another article according to which the fuglyly rendered goggles that have always been shown with these articles for years now (and which have zero chance of being close to the way the actual product will look) are "delayed".
A real-world "delay" as opposed to a fantasy one would mean that the product has been publicly announced, which it hasn't. At most, some internal milestones may have been pushed back.
The breathlessly stated release dates from the past have all been missed, and there's no reason why the WWDC one shouldn't also be more of the same, but let's take everything for 100% gospel this time along with the price because Mark Gurman and this time it'll surely all be different.
What's probably actually happening is that some mid-level sources within Apple are saying "Well I've seen it work and there's no reason why it wouldn't be ready sometime soon", and then since pages need to be filled by Gurman and others, the end result of the game of telephone is "HELLOHELLOHELLO headset to come out in April/WWDC/September/before the end of the year HELLOHELLOHELLO".
The actual situation, which even Gurman hints at with his warning that it may be delayed further, is that he knows nothing about the release time.
"Gurman cautions that the timing of the launch could change again, but Apple wants to have it available for purchase by the end of 2023 if at all possible because it is the headline product of the year."
HELLOHELLOHELLO: Apple would like to have a flying car out by the end of the year if at all possible, but it may not be possible and may come out later whenever.
A real-world "delay" as opposed to a fantasy one would mean that the product has been publicly announced, which it hasn't. At most, some internal milestones may have been pushed back.
The breathlessly stated release dates from the past have all been missed, and there's no reason why the WWDC one shouldn't also be more of the same, but let's take everything for 100% gospel this time along with the price because Mark Gurman and this time it'll surely all be different.
What's probably actually happening is that some mid-level sources within Apple are saying "Well I've seen it work and there's no reason why it wouldn't be ready sometime soon", and then since pages need to be filled by Gurman and others, the end result of the game of telephone is "HELLOHELLOHELLO headset to come out in April/WWDC/September/before the end of the year HELLOHELLOHELLO".
The actual situation, which even Gurman hints at with his warning that it may be delayed further, is that he knows nothing about the release time.
"Gurman cautions that the timing of the launch could change again, but Apple wants to have it available for purchase by the end of 2023 if at all possible because it is the headline product of the year."
HELLOHELLOHELLO: Apple would like to have a flying car out by the end of the year if at all possible, but it may not be possible and may come out later whenever.
For real. My thoughts exactly. Had me chuckling picturing an excited man getting giddy over delivering the latest lies.
How could I possibly answer that question when I don't know:
1. What the product looks like
2. What it's intended use cases are
3. How much it costs
Rather than trying to guess and predict what the product will be and whether I am excited or disappointed by it, I'm keeping an open mind until I actual have some real facts around which to base my opinion.
The price has been confirmed multiple times by very reputable sources. I doubt it will be much different than the quoted 3K. It’s not that hard to imagine what a VR set is going to be used for: there are multiple similar sets available from many vendors for less than a quarter of that price. It’s going to be a niche product, at least for its first generation. But sure, go ahead and get excited about it, it’s a free world. I’m entitled to my opinion as well - it’s still boring. It’s not like they’re going to showcase something unseen and revolutionary there. Maybe something evolutionary, but that’s still a meh from me.
I mean that's what Apple does, most of the time: they introduce a much more refined version of a product category. The iPod wasnt the first PMP, the iPhone wasnt the first smartphone, the airpods definitely werent the first wireless earbuds, the iPad wasnt the first touchscreen tablet, etc. They don't always manage it, but that is what they're good at.
I could argue there, as the iPhone was the very first truly touchscreen-based smartphone. The same goes for the iPad. Any devices before that were still using button- or stylus-based inputs.
Other than hardware, the price is the one thing that can be changed until a second before it is revealed. Many "very reputable sources" thought they knew the price for the iPad or the Apple Watch Ultra before they came out, and then it turned out to be about half of their "reputable" wild guesses.
But no, let's project absolute certainty about the price, that the features aren't any better than cheap headsets, that it's going to be an unoriginal niche product and so on.
You have perfectly stated the major shortcoming of this site and the majority of its forums users
.
It was also multitouch which was a brand new type of capacitive touch screen technology when including the advancements in software providing the experience.
Other than hardware, the price is the one thing that can be changed until a second before it is revealed. Many "very reputable sources" thought they knew the price for the iPad or the Apple Watch Ultra before they came out, and then it turned out to be about half of their "reputable" wild guesses.
But no, let's project absolute certainty about the price, that the features aren't any better than cheap headsets, that it's going to be an unoriginal niche product and so on.
You have perfectly stated the major shortcoming of this site and the majority of its forums users
And the continued conundrum of there existing people on a rumor site being annoyed by rumors. Or having a mentality not at all conducive to rumors.
Let me put this to bed.
1. The VR headset is going to be dope, probably beyond belief in some ways and underwhelming or inferior in other ways. It sounds like it’s a complete power hog for one.
2. There’s an early adopter penalty, but it’s also doubling as a developer demo set so apps can be developed. I’m pretty sure putting your goggles on to check email is stupid, and there is probably a limited number of developers on NDA who are already making things for this.
3. The price will be high. C’mon. This is Apple. They’re going to price it so high it makes you question your frickin’ sanity until you can’t take not having it anymore. For me, that price is $3,699 plus tax. I’d want to kill myself for doing it, but I’d pay it off. That’s what it’s gonna cost. If you think there’s even a chance of it being $1,999 or $2,499: I really doubt it.
Lastly, this may be the only decent pro argument for the App Store. Because imagine having your eyes hacked. We’ll be begging for a positive list of pre-reviewed, signed apps back. 😃
Sorry, we don't know about this. We've seen products that surprised people with how expensive they are/were (e.g., 2019 Mac Pro) or the opposite (iPad, Apple Watch Ultra).
It'll depend on whether this will be supposed to be a pro/consumer/developer product.
Pro: Expensive.
Consumer: Not so expensive.
Developer: Could be anything, but you might get your money back (like with the DTK).
I'm seeing way too much certainty about and emotional investment into sketchy rumors in here. Maybe it's going to be part of the new iMac Pro?
.Possible was the key word. Not confirmed, so saying it was delayed like that’s a fact is illogical
I can give you I don’t know, but it’s a looooong shot. How is Apple Watch Ultra an example of a low price? They discontinued the Edition because no one was spending that. They’re not going to repeat the same mistake.Sorry, we don't know about this. We've seen products that surprised people with how expensive they are/were (e.g., 2019 Mac Pro) or the opposite (iPad, Apple Watch Ultra).
It'll depend on whether this will be supposed to be a pro/consumer/developer product.
Pro: Expensive.
Consumer: Not so expensive.
Developer: Could be anything, but you might get your money back (like with the DTK).
I'm seeing way too much certainty about and emotional investment into sketchy rumors in here. Maybe it's going to be part of the new iMac Pro?
This seems like a much better time to launch it. Though I wouldn’t be surprised to see it get delayed again.
The b*tch level on here is pathetic. Who cares how much this costs? I have zero issue with the price. If it will help me make money, I'll buy it. You already know how Apple works - the pro stuff costs a lot because the people who buy them use them to make money, or else they have enough money that means they don't care about the price of anything. There will be numerous tiers to come that suit your budget.
I added some visual imagery to your post so we could illustrate your point together.The b*tch level on here is pathetic. Who cares how much this costs? I have zero issue with the price. If it will help me make money, I'll buy it. You already know how Apple works - the pro stuff costs a lot because the people who buy them use them to make money, or else they have enough money that means they don't care about the price of anything. There will be numerous tiers to come that suit your budget.
I don't know if it's such a great idea to put words into people's mouths and mess up the quotes.
The post also contained "There will be numerous tiers to come that suit your budget.", I don't see this as the same as "stop being poor".