I expect the headset to be both less than we hope and more than we are expecting based on the rumors. The tech to make this seems to be just barely ready and I think this will be more like the Lisa to an eventual Macintosh consumer product.
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 Tester Claims to Be 'Blown Away' by AR/VR Headset, Says There Was Giant Development Leap
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Let’s just hope the OS experience is not buggy, like Ventura or iOS 16. The other day I wanted to use my camera on my phone to snap a quick pick and the camera was locked up. Just a black image. I had to restart the phone to use the damn camera. And by time it was restarted, the moment had past amd couldn’t capture the pic I wanted.
Apple must squish the bugs otherwise it will be a frustrating experience in the metaverse.
Apple must squish the bugs otherwise it will be a frustrating experience in the metaverse.
Google glasses failed because you had to carry a battery pack. Who wants to walk around with a battery pack belt around their waist?
Ahead of the unveiling of Apple's AR/VR product, there has been skepticism that the device will be well-received, both because of its rumored $3,000 price tag and the lackluster performance of competing products from companies like Sony and Meta.
At least one person testing the device is enthused about it, however. Leaker Evan Blass, who has provided accurate insight into Apple's plans in the past, claims to know a person who has had opportunities to "demo" the headset. Blass said that over the course of the last few months, the tester has gone from "lamenting its 'underwhelming' capabilities" to being "blown away" by the experience and the hardware.
"The leap they've made since [late last year] is giant," the Apple tester told Blass. "I was so skeptical; now I'm blown away in a 'take my money kind of way,'" they said. Blass shared the details on his Twitter account, which is private.
Apple has been working on the AR/VR headset for years now, and its debut has been pushed back multiple times as the company has aimed to solve development issues with the design and the software. Apple is now ready to preview it, and is expected to do so at the Worldwide Developers Conference.
Back in March, The New York Times reported that several Apple employees it had spoken to were skeptical about the headset's potential for success. The employees have questioned whether the headset is a "solution in search of a problem" and if it is "driven by the same clarity" as other Apple devices.
Apple CEO Tim Cook in April said that with everything the company has done, there have always been "loads of skeptics." It comes with the territory of doing "something that's on the edge," Cook said.
The AR/VR headset is shaping up to be similar to the Apple Watch in terms of early functionality. It will be expensive at over $3,000, and limited in usefulness to begin with. Apple plans to iterate on the headset over time, and there are already new models in development. With the Apple Watch, Apple made notable strides in its technical capabilities, and within a few generations, the device became indispensable to many.
Apple's headset will be its first new product category since the Apple Watch. Expected to be called the "Reality Pro" or "Reality One," the headset will feature dual 4K micro OLED displays from Sony, for 8K total resolution. It will be equipped with more than a dozen cameras for mapping the area around the user, reading facial expressions, interpreting gestures, and more.
Design wise, it is said to feature a sleek, curved visor made from aluminum, glass, and carbon fiber, with Apple aiming to keep weight low. In fact, it does not even have a battery built in, with the battery instead worn at the waist to prevent the headset from being too heavy.
Apple is working on updating its apps for the device, with a specific focus on communication and collaboration, television and sports, gaming, and health and fitness.
More on what's expected for the AR/VR headset can be found in our AR/VR headset roundup.
Article Link: Apple Tester Claims to Be 'Blown Away' by AR/VR Headset, Says There Was Giant Development Leap
Do you skeptics actually think that Tim and his Apple circle would release something that Apple’s whole innovation reputation hinges on that is meh? The company has decades of experience, other MR products to learn from, tremendous logistics and infrastructure, an inexhaustible amount of money available to them and the most important asset which an is understanding of what works for humanity. They have been working on this for 10 years. Place your bets!….My bet is it’s a huge winner.
Last edited:
I’m not sure I know what a take my $3,000 kind of scenario looks like.
Despite not likely an early adopter, I remain more interested in this launch than any since ‘07.
Despite not likely an early adopter, I remain more interested in this launch than any since ‘07.
I know many people who are blown away by the Meta Quest. I think it’s crap, so it’s all about perspective.
You're not supposed to use this device outside.
I know many who have it and barely use it. I know none that are blown away by it.
That might be the only way this would gain social acceptance. Like how beats was used as part of wardrobe when I’d bet few in public ever really listened to them.
Don't worry. We, the people of the internet, will take the baton and be needlessly skeptical from here. Even though we haven't seen the headset or tried it yet, we're sure we hate it.
Apple is starting to plant advertising for the launch of this. We all know its gonna take 5 revs before we care.
And I didn’t comment on what your thoughts were on the glasses either. My comment was on your review of the story.
I commented on you saying:
“This is dumb. A sample size of 1 is not a good/reliable indicator of how good or bad something is.”
The point is, one person seeing the device and potentially using it would have more weight than 1000 people speculating.
Sample size is irrelevant if we are discussing rumors about an upcoming product with folks who have never seen or used it (everyone). Then, some information comes up where someone may have had first hand experience with it - or someone who did. That person gets more weight. This is a rumor site. Maybe Apple PR, but all the same.
I just added the part about waiting til the announcement to decide. That had nothing to do with you.
Because they're Apple, I'll bet they can sell 100k of these at $3k = $300m USD on launch day.
Everyone who is anyone in tech will buy one. It may be shelfware in a week, but maybe it won't be.
Everyone who is anyone in tech will buy one. It may be shelfware in a week, but maybe it won't be.
Only if you visit this site and click on VR Glass rumors. Then you can probably expect that to be the case.
Sure, the next version will be awesome. Which explains why my iPhone 13 Pro has so many bugs when it is on version 13 and why Ventura has so many bugs after 22 years since Cheetah 10.0.
I am leaving the door open to this product actually blowing me away. I do not know why this would be inconceivable. Apple has history of doing exactly that. While this product might be somewhat of a niche today, it might not be so in the future. Every new generation of product is usually "expensive" first until production at scale does its thing.
I too am always blown away by gossip and keynotes and then totally annoyed with the real product and all the bugs that come with any software.
Let's remember that both Windows and various Linux distributions are full of bugs as well after decades of development. There is something to be said about OSes, their complexity and how they will never ever be bug free. Ever.
This is so damage control. One week ago people from Apple were doubting the device now all of a sudden they are blown away. Hope it works out nonethless.
