Apple Tester Claims to Be 'Blown Away' by AR/VR Headset, Says There Was Giant Development Leap

[dwaite]

I can't wait to buy one and show my friends because then they'll realize how much money I actually havehad.

FTFY

 

[rukia]

Just buy this when it comes out and leave it sealed in the box. If VR becomes mainstream in 20 years, and Apple is dominating the market with version 15, make that call to Sotheby's.

 

[Macalway]

"I told you so"


(ahead of time flop quote)

 

[roar08]

I criticized the first Apple Watch. Years later, I think the Series 7 and 8 are fantastic, it’s now my go-to watch.

Learned my lesson. I’ll hold judgement until they’ve released and updated this headset.

Honestly — same. And now I *love* my Ultra.

 

[257Loner]

 

[257Loner]

" with the battery instead worn at the waist to prevent the headset from being too heavy." - in my younger days, I'm ashamed to say I was proud to have my camera, PalmPilot, and Motorola Razor hanging off my belt as a badge of geekiness. I don't think I'll go back to those 'glory' days LoL.

I tip my hat off to you, sir! You have a genuine love of gadgets, and you aren't afraid of showing it.

 

[jtopp]

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.

Concept render by Ian Zelbo​

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

I don’t think it will cost $3k at launch.

 

[reyesmac]

There are two main reasons why this could be good, the tracking is like real life or the graphics are better than consoles. Only both at the same time are worth lots of money. But, how long can you use it without ruining your eyesight or losing the ability to sleep? How much is is worth to avoid that problem?

 

[rafark]

If anybody is going to get AR/VR right, then it's going to be Apple. And then the rest of the world will follow.

Exactly. I’ve been saying this for a while...

 

[iZac]

Don't knock it 'till you try it!

Also, as ever this is a dual 4K monitor. People don't decry the Studio Display for being $2000 with an adjustable stand.

... well they do, but they still buy it!

 

[MichaelAdam]

I read the rumors for some times now and my thoughts are
1. No way Apple will release a VR headset at 3K and focus on gaming / entertainment. This will be disastrous

2. I don’t think an external battery case is appropriate.

3. I think looking at the latest products release and some catastrophic results (computer sales down to 40%!), that Tim Cook can’t afford a failure with what should be the next lead product.
Saying that, the last few years were lacking of vision, innovation and audacity …

I am hoping for a good surprise with a Revolution in AR that they promise us for a long time

 

[Born Again]

As with most new Apple products, V1 will have pain points that are usually largely fixed in V2, and by V4 the leaps will be quite apparent.

AirPods Max?

 

[Born Again]

This is dumb. A sample size of 1 is not a good/reliable indicator of how good or bad something is.

Exactly. I’m curious how they see this fit in everyday life

Run or walk dog at 6 am
Work from 8 am to 5 pm
5:30 pm Pick up kids go to park
6:30 pm dinner
7:30 pm wind down kids
8:30 pm Zwift sesh
9:30 pm shower
10 pm read mac rumors and play wordle and watch streaming
11 pm sleep.

Where is the time to wear VR headsets?!?!?!

 

[maxoakland]

I love how people said Tim Cook was leaking bad news about it so that it’d be easy to exceed expectations and now people are saying he is responsible for leaking good news about it.

Both those things could be true

 

[sidlon]

If Apple wants gaming to be a feature for this device, there are 3 Apple Arcade titles that need a VR version: Discolored, Collage Atlas, and Kings of the Castle.

 

[Tagbert]

I’m sure the tech will be amazing, and I’m trying to keep an open mind. But for me to be truly blown away, it can’t be a “headset.” I won’t be seen walking around in public with a “headset”.

I don’t think this will be a “walking down the street” kind of product. We are years away from that kind of thing. This will be for use in your home or office.

 

[svish]

Excited to see it in action at WWDC.

 

[philstubbington]

Really? I think it has huge potential eventually if it's priced well and isn't marketed like a gimmick or just for gaming or something. There are very few limitations to the value of this technology over time if well implemented.

Use it on museum tours. Instantly view information about a creator without having to look at your phone. Want to see other work by the same person? Sure. Side by side? You got it. Want to compare a different artist? Sure thing. Maybe you'd like to see the art you're looking at as it was originally displayed when it was created. You can do that too.

Same thing for an archaeological site. Built right, you could view crumbling ruins with an overlay of how they'd have originally appeared - and be able to walk around in them. Or as a tool for modern archaeologists to revisit a dig layer by layer. That could be invaluable to the (inherently destructive) science.

Remodeling your home? Walk around and preview your changes in real time, exactly as they'd appear when completed. Don't like what you see? Change it. Want to buy or build a house? Take a walkthrough without having to travel to it or have it built first.

Use it to make your computer monitor as large or as small as you want for whatever you're doing.

More medical and mental health treatments may be adaptable to the technology (some ar/vr is already used in the medical field, but there's room for expansion). Give a hospital bound person the ability to attend a family function almost as if they were actually there.

Sit in on lectures and labs with top experts in whatever field you want to learn about without the inherent depersonalization of staring at a fixed screen.

Far more realistic technical & engineering training opportunities, the ability to "travel" anywhere in the world and engage in any activity instantly, fitness and sports training, sculpt, re-engineer a part of a machine virtually, situate your product in a home or business. Preview a hike on an unfamiliar trail. Visit and walk around a destination before you arrive. Pick which beach you like best before you go on vacation - by virtually standing on it and taking a look around.

Some of this can already be done in an extremely limited manner on the flat screen of a computer or phone, ar/vr glasses have the potential to take that to a new level. Other things simply can't be replicated on a "flat" device or are extremely awkward or dangerous in ways the ar/vr glasses could help resolve.

For $3000? Mmm, not convinced. It’s a solution in search of a problem. Unless the problem is “how can I extract $3000 from people by selling some clever technology?”.

 

[BvizioN]

As with most new Apple products, V1 will have pain points that are usually largely fixed in V2, and by V4 the leaps will be quite apparent.

As with most new Apple products? This is universal fact for everything ever invented by human kind, follow up generations tend to be better than the previous ones on most cases.

 

[BvizioN]

they are asking for 3k………..🤣

No they aren't! Wake up! You are on a rumor forum!

 

[contacos]

Thing is … even if I could afford this device, I don’t know anyone else who could, so it would be a very lonely virtual world for me out there

 

[hoorayforhollywood]

Everyone hates on this product but let's face it - if Apple had something truly incredible up their sleeve we'd all be very happy and strangely proud.

 

[klasma]

I'm really not buying the waist battery thing. Does it come with a belt? or are you expected to put it in your pocket? Not everyone has pockets, especially ones that can hold a battery so big it couldn't be built into the device.

This headset is only for people with deep pockets.

 

[AppZ.Zero]

Need to create some good PR, since otherwise everyting seems to be pretty disappointing.

 

[newyorksole]

Need to create some good PR, since otherwise everyting seems to be pretty disappointing.

I don’t think they’re worried about the PR on something that hasn’t been revealed/experienced yet by end-users.

This isn’t the 24K Gold Apple Watch or the trash can Mac Pro.

If anything the bad PR is good because then they’ll be surprising and delighting everyone once it’s actually announced.