Apple Has Secret Team Working on Virtual Reality Headset

[Gudi]

Romanticizing Apple doesn't make Apple different from any other company.

You can't be the same as any other company and collect over half the profits in the PC industry with only 7.5% global market share. You got to "Think Different" to achieve and maintain such a competitive position.

Besides that, you're completely wrong. Apple has looked at and worked on tons of projects that have never seen the light of day.

I never said every project sees the light of day. I said every project is aimed at improving an actual product. No project inside Apple is just to show off and create public attention for the company. Most of the projects we hear about from other companies are something between advertisement and vaporware.

Also, I'm not really sure where you were going with the whole AR/VR is not a product thing.

For years Apple was mocked for not having NFC in the iPhone, because the technology was supposed to be the future of mobile payments. But it isn't, it's just an enabling technology the whole service Apple Pay is the product. What is the problem to be solved by AR/VR for the customer? The technology alone is not helping anyone.

Steve's dead btw. Been dead for a while. Even if he axed skunkwork projects during his return, that doesn't mean things are being run the same way. They're not.

Again, things need to continue to be run differently at Apple or the company is lost. For a normal company high profit margins on a small market share would be a fragile position. Only Apple can be the most profitable company in history and make most of it's revenue with products less than six month old. Steve set up Apples corporate culture based on Californian counter culture. The most important part of it was to do absolutely nothing that is not aimed at improving the user experience. A daring new approach.

A new technology might work reliably, but won't improve the experience enough and Apple won't ship it. For example the rumors about Apple developing wireless charging with extended range for as soon as 2017. When Apple researches AR/VR they think about how it would feel to use this thing every day for its intended purpose. The weight alone may be reason enough to neglect Oculus Rift. Apple is simply not interested in building yet another technology demonstrator. Their profession is too integrate everything into a finished product the user won't hate.

 

[ValO]

So you're a company spokesperson now? You know what Apple's plans are? Ok...

It is a forum, I can say what I want, no?

And give me one good business case for VR that is socially acceptable?
Gaming ? Watching tv on your own?
I can' t see myself complete shut off from the real world, AR is the answer for that.

 

[danckwerts]

Looks like it makes all your hair fall out. That would put me off.

 

[calisurfboy]

I'm flashing back to Nintendos Virtual Boy and the films Disclosure, Lawn Mower Man, Johnny Mnemonic, and Virtuosity.

Stop trying to make it happen. Its not going to happen anytime soon.

 

[Pilgrim1099]

I'm flashing back to Nintendos Virtual Boy and the films Disclosure, Lawn Mower Man, Johnny Mnemonic, and Virtuosity.

Stop trying to make it happen. Its not going to happen anytime soon.

Deal with it. VR is already here. You can't stop Oculus or other competitors as they already got the jump on it.

Oh, and it's certainly NOTHING like the Virtual Boy failure. It is far, far improved. The time is now.

 

[ElCharro]

Looks like it makes all your hair fall out. That would put me off.

Sorry, how does VR make people's hair fall out exactly?

 

[npmacuser5]

Seems like another product trying to create a demand. Products that solve problems, make things easier often succeed. Those who try to create demand have a more challenging road to success. 3D TV comes to mind. Interesting to see how this develops.

 

[ValO]

Deal with it. VR is already here. You can't stop Oculus or other competitors as they already got the jump on it.

Oh, and it's certainly NOTHING like the Virtual Boy failure. It is far, far improved. The time is now.

This is just for a small group of gamers which have to buy the latest hardware.

Releasing a beta version to the public with a lot of financial hurdles for the consumer doesn't t mean Apple has fallen behind.
It is just not Apple to release too much information or to show its cards before it is finished and able to ship in large quantities in the next 6 months.

 

[ProVideo]

So you have a huge problem with giving cash to increase Zuckerberg's billions, but have absolutely no problem with increasing Apple's billions?

I take it you don't vote since you can't grasp the concept of picking the lesser of two evils.

 

[VulchR]

Let the nausea and headaches begin....

 

[DevNull0]

You mean 'great products that enrich people's lives'? No, this clearly doesn't fit Tim Cook's Apple. </s>

You say that sarcastically, but if you honestly believe that fits Timmy's Apple, you've got to cut back on the kool-aid.

Also, Apple doesn't have powerful enough hardware... Yet. We heard rumours about mobile payments before the iPhone 6, but no one said 'the iPhone 5S didn't have NFC... This must be false!' I'm still shocked at how many people believe if Apple hasn't released X, it isn't capable of doing X and doesn't have it in the lab.

First, there's a gigantic difference between a NFC chip that's been out on android phones and a 4.5 Teraflop graphics processor (GTX 970). You're talking a 25 cent chip vs a $250 chip (in industrial quantity). And Apple is perfectly capable of adding a GTX 970 (not M by the way), to their computer. But what I said was that adding it would be diametrically opposed to everything Timmy has done since taking over. Apple could also release an ATX motherboard with a socket 1151 and standard connections. There's lots they could do, but won't because it goes against everything Timmy stands for.

Apple does have interest in gaming: look beyond the Mac. Look at the iPhone and the Apple TV.

Yep, Apple's interest in gaming is f2p IAP hell and games with a cheap TV remote control as the controller. I feel sorry for you if you feel like either of those are a good way to play games because you're missing out on a lot of fun.

 

[69Mustang]

You can't be the same as any other company and collect over half the profits in the PC industry with only 7.5% global market share. You got to "Think Different" to achieve and maintain such a competitive position.

We can agree to disagree. Apple is a company like any other. A very successful, but still just a company nonetheless. Their success doesn't make them something else.

I never said every project sees the light of day. I said every project is aimed at improving an actual product. No project inside Apple is just to show off and create public attention for the company. Most of the projects we hear about from other companies are something between advertisement and vaporware.

No one claimed you said that, least of me. You're still wrong though. Apple works on tons of products unrelated to improving their current products. That's how we got the Watch. That's how we got the original ATV. That's how we got iPod Socks. We hear about other companies projects because they're all not obsessed with secrecy.

For years Apple was mocked for not having NFC in the iPhone, because the technology was supposed to be the future of mobile payments. But it isn't, it's just an enabling technology the whole service Apple Pay is the product. What is the problem to be solved by AR/VR for the customer? The technology alone is not helping anyone.

{pablum snipped for clarity}

I hate to be the one to break it to you, but none of Apple's products solve a problem for the customer. Not a single one. All of Apple's products provide an alternative to something that already existed. They don't solve problems. No one claimed AR/VR would be solving a problem. Apple is branching out from just a consumer focus. They are making concerted efforts in enterprise and education. Both could benefit from AR/VR solutions.

 

[Gudi]

Their success doesn't make them something else.

No, being something else makes them successful. The succes will fade when they become a normal company.

Apple works on tons of products unrelated to improving their current products. That's how we got the Watch.

The watch is a current product. And it is essentially an iPhone accessory.

That's how we got the original ATV.

A product $299.

That's how we got iPod Socks.

A product $29.

We hear about other companies projects because they're all not obsessed with secrecy.

Which is a mistake. No need to give copiers a head start.

I hate to be the one to break it to you, but none of Apple's products solve a problem for the customer. Not a single one.

Yes they do. Solving a problem, job to be done, outcome driven innovation.

All of Apple's products provide an alternative to something that already existed. They don't solve problems.

Originality is unimportant. The matter is how good the solution solves the problem.

No one claimed AR/VR would be solving a problem.

But it must. How to make gaming more immersive? How to make movies look more impressive? There must be a benefit or the product will fail like 3D televisions. If customers see no reason to own a product they won't buy it.

Apple is branching out from just a consumer focus.

No, they don't. It's their strength. Microsoft optimized Windows and Office for business customers and ignored the end users experience.

They are making concerted efforts in enterprise and education.

False, they leave the whole enterprise business to a collaboration with IBM.

Both could benefit from AR/VR solutions.

And there it is a niche application, which wouldn't sell a single additional Mac. Essentially a waste of time. AR/VR only makes sense as accessory for an imaginary TV Pro which doubles as a gaming console.

 

[mrothroc]

The Oculus Rift has a relatively low resolution (compared to the human's visual acuity limit), yet it still requires at least a GTX 970 for acceptable gaming performances. No Mac currently has a GPU as powerful as a GTX 970 for gaming. Anyway, I doubt this product would be aimed at Mac owners, since the userbase is pretty small compared to iOS device owners.

There are many factors that go into the compute power needed for quality images, not the least of which is the rendering engine. Almost all of the modern engines are based on old technology. It might be possible that a new engine, build from the ground up for modern hardware, could produce the quality needed with significantly less horsepower.

What engines have you seen power the Rift? How long ago were they designed?

 

[DevNull0]

You can't be the same as any other company and collect over half the profits in the PC industry with only 7.5% global market share. You got to "Think Different" to achieve and maintain such a competitive position.

Why do you think high margins make Apple in any way good for their customers? You think Apple making more profit makes their computers better?

Or it means you get so-called premium flagship phones with 16 gig of flash in 2016.

Timmy is spending Apple's brand value and converting it to cash. When people get tired of under-performing premium priced products all in the name of higher margins, it's going to bite Apple hard.

 

[kungpaaao]

I don't doubt that Apple has been working on it. After all, keeping future products a secret is standard procedure for manufacturers.

Yet that said it comes across that Apple is no longer the cutting edge leader. Instead they languish three years behind the market before finally eating their own words and admitting iPhones were just too tiny. Before finally including a contemporary size display.

It's no wonder that iPhone 6 models were so popular, Apple was years behind. Their customers were desperate for a more usable iPhone.

Apple is going to have to do much better than their current practice of following and being years behind the competition.

I'm glad this project is secret so no one hears about it.

Anyway, when Tim Cook said the future was about virtual reality, but said nothing else, he sounded like he didn't have any vision. YOu know, throw something at the wall and see what sticks.

My opinion: Apple has no vision now. That does not mean super-human powers. It means someone identifying a cool need and running with it. What does someone "need" now that can be helped with technology. Steve Jobs was not super-human. He just saw things in basic ways for needs that he thought would be cool based on technology coming out or possibilities. Basic.

Anywho, I feel this is probably a part of the reason for their stock sucking. Why? I was always mesmerized by Apple/Jobs. Fam and I go to the Apple Store weekly. Seriously. Have only been there once a year now, at most, and that's to fix a phone. No cool and exciting desire. Apple reached its peak and then what? The excitement is gone.

 

[Gudi]

Why do you think high margins make Apple in any way good for their customers? You think Apple making more profit makes their computers better?

It's the other way around, only because Apple computers are better, they can be sold at a premium. The competition always tries to sell their trash at Apple price points, but the customers ignore their mediocre offerings. Apple would also be ignored, if their newest product innovations wouldn't be seen as unique.

Only Apple (Tim Cook Song)

 

[wikiverse]

VR so far is very gaming centric and Apple as no interest in gaming.

To get framerates and image quality that don't cause motion sickness, VR needs very high end hardware. There is nothing from Apple that comes close to being able to drive decent VR.

VR seems to be the complete opposite of what Timmy's Apple stands for. So, it should be interesting to see what they come up with. Maybe a google-cardboard clone that takes 2 watches instead of a phone. People can't rave about how much better than 2 screen system is than google's one screen version.

We have frame rates that don't cause motion sickness. I think you're referring to the processing delay - the difference in time between a person moving, that signal being processed, the image being generated and displayed.

That said, apart from games (or simulation training), no one has found a useful application for VR yet. Augmented reality - sure, but full VR seems like solving a problem that no one has.

 

[kungpaaao]

It's the other way around, only because Apple computers are better, they can be sold at a premium. The competition always tries to sell their trash at Apple price points, but the customers ignore their mediocre offerings. Apple would also be ignored, if their newest product innovations wouldn't be seen as unique.

Only Apple (Tim Cook Song)

Dude, world's oldest misunderstanding.

Apple done NOT sell at a premium. Their computers are a great value at the price point (although the MacBook Airs are **** for screens).

They only target a specific price and performance category. THere is no premium (excluding the screens of the Airs).

Go ahead and deal with Windows issues for a Dell of the same price.

Unique innovations? Where? Apple is not that special.

 

[8281]

They have to or else Mac's/OS X will be dead if VR explodes. Not going to guarantee that VR is going to be a hit but I spent over $1500 upgrading my gaming PC and another $600 for a oculus rift preorder because I'm looking few new experiences. Not one penny went to Apple.
If Apple does not jump on it early their entire computer business is in trouble with "mainstream" buyers. It will be too late once the cost of premium headsets come down. If it wasn't for Samsung's incompetence in upgrading their flagship phones I would be using a Galaxy S6 with gear VR.

VR won't explode any time soon. Consumers aren't spending a whole lot and they certainly won't be spending on VR headsets. Your purchases are outliers.

In any case Apple has a history of letting other companies push brand new products and then releasing their own vision of that technology later. The iPod, iPhone, Apple Watch were not the first of their kind.

 

[iPadCary]

I can' t see myself complete shut off from the real world ....

That is extremely short-sighted, and wrong, of you.
VR will come bursting out of the gate & gain momentum by the day.
10'years ago, did you even imagine people being attached like leeches
to a 4-inch screened mobile, networked touchscreen computer?!?

 

[Gudi]

Dude, world's oldest misunderstanding. Apple done NOT sell at a premium. Their computers are a great value at the price point.

Dude, with a 40% profit margin you're selling at a premium. Cause their computers are great value in comparison, otherwise you couldn't sell them at their prices at all. But compared to what it costs Apple to make them, they are expensive. And this is only possible, because Apple has a unique selling proposition as the only company who has a monopoly on selling Macs.

Go ahead and deal with Windows issues for a Dell of the same price.

You don't need to convince me that OS X is superior to Windows, but Apple lets you pay for the privilege again and again, just as Microsoft does.

Unique innovations? Where? Apple is not that special.

Sure they are. There is just one company in the whole wide world that makes both the hardware and the software themselves. Their own ARM chip design as well as their own programming language. Their own online store and their own flagship stores with their own furniture and their own glass stairs architecture. Their own headphones and their own human curated online radio program. Apple has it all integrated in one company. They are specialized in making everything they need themselves. They are integrated vertically not horizontally. There is no second company in the computer industry like this, only one.

 

[Chloec]

visual???only see the visual, can i feel the visual?? have a feel, like touch, smell.

 

[MrAverigeUser]

apple is too late…

http://zeissvrone.tumblr.com

as well as for this:

http://www.wired.com/2016/01/zeiss-smart-glasses/

 

[vkd]

Initial thoughts on reading headline:

Surprise surprise. I wonder if any of the team has sex with his wife when he goes to bed? (sarcasm)