George Bailey
macrumors regular
Maybe it's a clever plant by Apple, so then "Oh! It's only $2499! That's not so bad" š
Apple's Mixed-Reality Headset Now Said to Be in 'Final Sprint' and 'Delivery Stage' Ahead of WWDC
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Maybe it's a clever plant by Apple, so then "Oh! It's only $2499! That's not so bad" š
BlairMALL
macrumors regular
This is just a strange one. I have never witnessed such disappointment and disapproval from the Apple fan base ahead of a new product release. While many of these feelings are mostly reactions to rumors (3k price tag, lack of software, design aesthetic, rush to market, etc.), I believe that what makes this entire topic to difficult is the market itself. AR and VR just haven't delivered on their potential in any significant way.
This sets off a cascade of bad emotions for me. If the technology can't mature, Apple's usual transformative entry (iPod, iPhone, iPad) will be an empty suit wherein all of the hope and promise of this technology will lay dormant until the must have 'killer app' arrives and makes us all go out and buy it and buy in.
Despite my eternal optimism (rare on this site these days), I am content to have Apple make a step forward over a lateral move in this sector. I hope that I am wrong and that Apple delivers a major step forward, but I today's optimism may only lead to a baby step in the right direction.
This sets off a cascade of bad emotions for me. If the technology can't mature, Apple's usual transformative entry (iPod, iPhone, iPad) will be an empty suit wherein all of the hope and promise of this technology will lay dormant until the must have 'killer app' arrives and makes us all go out and buy it and buy in.
Despite my eternal optimism (rare on this site these days), I am content to have Apple make a step forward over a lateral move in this sector. I hope that I am wrong and that Apple delivers a major step forward, but I today's optimism may only lead to a baby step in the right direction.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
For all of the "solution in search of a problem" posts, this SINGLE deliverable- if it comes- means that Goggle owners will suddenly have a way to use ANY size screen on any Apple device. Want a 17" MB? Ta-dah! How about 20"? Ta-dah! Want a 27" iMac? How about a 32" iMac? How about a 50" ultra-wide? How about an IMAX Mac? 2 screens? 4 screens? 8 screens?
In my imagination, this ONE benefit is "killer app" if the "reality" is good enough to look like actually having such screen(s) with me, anywhere I go. This could be a brand new kind of laptop (with any screen size, minus the weight of actually building a physical laptop with bigger screens), a new kind of tablet (with adjustable screen sizes), a new kind of phone (with adjustable screens).
All of the tech industry is trying to figure out good paths to bigger screens with folding and rollable screens: how can we keep the portability but deliver a bigger screen? How can we avoid adding a lot of weight but deliver a bigger screen? Perhaps Apple's answer to that is: "What if "we" virtualize the screen so it can be ANY size?"
Imagine a new kind of laptop option with basically the bottom half of a laptop plus goggles in the laptop bag. Now anywhere you want to pull out and use a laptop is basically done the same way... only the monitor "half" is a virtual screen... of ANY size (not only limited to up to 16" approx. square). When done with it, put it away, just like we put away our laptops now. When I have to go from my main Mac with a 40" ultra-wide screen to my MBpro, it feels so insanely cramped and requires so much window swapping/moving/adjusting that I find myself dreading it. What if this eliminates THAT problem?
Why would Apple Inc. be interested in this? Instead of paying others in the supply chain for new laptop form factor screens, or foldable/rollable screens, they could summon up any size screen for any Apple product- existing or in the pipeline- in software. A virtual screen won't have a crease to wear out. A virtual screen won't yield a thicker product when folded. A virtual screen won't have the COGS tangibles. Instead of having a cut of every sale paying someone in the supply chain, Apple could fully develop new screens solely in software. Etc.
Obviously, this would not be for everyone. Some will prefer the "as is." But with fixed sized screens like ASD retailing at upwards of $2K with a stand option, is the rumored $3K really too much if you could have ANY size ASD screen (or multiple screens) whenever and wherever you want?
I recently spent $2K for a fixed sized screen that will basically sit in a single location for probably its entire useful life. I love it's 40" ultra-wide usability but it would never be practical trying to make it a mobile, "on the road" screen. Can goggles let me have that same screen anywhere I happen to be? Client location? Hotel? Cramped airplane seat? Etc. Deliver this one, single benefit well, and I'm likely highly motivated at even $3K.
Last edited:
TheYayAreaLiving šļø
Suspended
At this point, I just want Apple to announce this AR/VR headset so we can be done hearing about it.
StellarVixen
macrumors 68040
iPad didnāt have any killer apps. Its main sale pitch was bridge device between Mac and iPhone. Some even called it ābig iPod Touchā.
VR is more like Apple Newton of today. Trying to do something for which tech is not ready yet. Belt batteries? Really? What happened to āseamlessnessā of the Apple experience?
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
Ahhhh but this thing will allow us to actually go into those front pages and touch the words.
StellarVixen
macrumors 68040
I know! How could I ever live without shoving two screens directly in front of my eyes?!Ahhhh but this thing will allow us to actually go into those front pages and touch the words.
Progress!
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
We have seen that exact movie before, haven't we?
The rumored brand new product called iPad had enormous fan reluctance/pessimism as "only a big iPod/iPhone" and "$1000 is far too expensive- no one will ever buy" and "solution in search of a problem", etc. Look how that turned out. "We" correctly called the doom of iPad and it had pretty much no uptake exactly as "we" suspected pre-launch.
Clearly Apple was foolish to try to launch such a product that nobody could possibly want... or afford. On a check just now, I see they are still making them. I guess the few, deep-pocketed, industrial/corp customers justify continued iPad offerings???
Last edited:
newyorksole
macrumors 603
I canāt wait for this to be revealed so I can read all of the āoh wow, I was wrong. this is pretty cool.ā and stop reading the doom and gloom.
soon enough! š
soon enough! š
See above.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
Given the tech specs rumored, this may be a MacBook AND an iMac in one, smallish package... and an iPad and iPhone too... with all screen size options on demand.
As pessimistic as we can be, you'd think a "think different" crowd could at least imagine the possibilities of a technology rumored to show eyes ANYTHING at a resolution high enough to seem to be reality. If so, our eyes can see ANY Apple tech in that view... as well as our favorite TV, movie screen, etc. We can potentially buy front row seats to any show/concert/etc for far less than actually doing so may cost. Etc.
Practice what our "God" used to preach: "think different."
For all of our pessimism, there should be equal room for optimism too. As is, this is one big imagination-based concept right now. It could be a far over-priced pile of ***** or it could be the most amazing bit of tech ever released. None of us can possibly know where in that spectrum the actual thing- whatever it is- lands. But you would think we know with great certainty based on the cumulative sentiment while it is a pure rumor.
Personally, I keep thinking that Apple- MIGHTY Apple- has been at this for what- about 6-7 years now??? It's hard to imagine that there could not be some innovative greatness created by Apple in 6 or 7 years.
Last edited:
DarthBuzzard
macrumors regular
"The fundemental flaw in these headphones is that it blocks off hearing. Nobody wants to have their hearing blocked off."
Cue the billion+ headphone users out there.
Also, you realize this is a mixed reality headset, right? It will allow you to see the real world, and as this tech gets better - through future iterations - users will be able to have virtual environments with the real world selectively overlayed onto it one object a time rather than have a toggle where you choose between pure AR and VR.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
For me, just one- a variation of Target Display- would fully do the trick.
And of all of the possibilities one can imagine for Virtual Reality goggles, that seems like the easiest one: show me any size screen(s) as if I am sitting in front of that screen(s). If VR goggles are unable to show what looks like a typical screen, I'm thinking the category name very much does NOT apply.
purplerainpurplerain
Suspended
Itās delayed until 2024. Itās coming out next month.
Itās delayed because of design changes. Itās coming out tomorrow.
This will finally be useful when we have self driving flying Apple iCar on planet Neptune powered by Unobtaintium.
We live in the age of grifters and tech companies looking for the next grift.
New grift every 3 months after the last grift failed.
Itās like that land of confusion song by Phil Collins.
Itās delayed because of design changes. Itās coming out tomorrow.
This will finally be useful when we have self driving flying Apple iCar on planet Neptune powered by Unobtaintium.
We live in the age of grifters and tech companies looking for the next grift.
New grift every 3 months after the last grift failed.
Itās like that land of confusion song by Phil Collins.
Lcgiv
macrumors regular
Not necessarily, especially if it has visual passthrough like the AirPods do for audio. Iāve used fully fielded and functional setups at tech expos and itās fine. People just look at you weird when you walk around with it. Had a slider that fades then blacks out the real world for full VR. F35 and 22 already have tech like this in the helmet heads-up display. It just needs avoid giving the majority of users migraines and motion sickness š
Lcgiv
macrumors regular
Just kidding, this is Apple car. You just drive in VR to work and work in VRā¦
robbietop
Suspended
Revenue doesn't matter with a market this small. Lamborghinis are expensive, but Porsche wants to know how many sold. Competition in the luxury market, which this device will be in, matters completely on units sold.
Price and Revenue comparison only matters in the mid-tier consumer market of $500-$1500, as that is the largest market consumer segment regardless of age, income bracket, ethnicity, etc. Consumers are more choosy over price than Upper-Tier Luxury brand segments, where focus is more on luxury than price.
Hellokittystampmyfacein
macrumors member
I think if they drop this bad boy for 499, even if you take a loss, you can make up more than the revenue by converting people to the Apple ecosystem I snapped up some more shares this morning of Apple stock
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
Actually, I've been around here long enough to offer that that admission generally does NOT happen. Instead, the flip-flop occurs as pre-release haters seem to flip to post-release "shut up and take my money", "how did we ever get by without..." evangelists.
It's like every classic coming of age show/movie where the boy has absolutely no interest in girls, and then they get kissed or something and there is a dramatic flip. Case in point: here's a classic in only 10:55...
Just slug in "Apple Fan, Goggle Haters Club" where applicable... and wait for Cupid (Apple) to shoot the arrow on launch.
Not a naive kid anymore? Here's the adult version...
Again, after Apple shoots the arrow, I suspect few 'Stooges' will be left behind.
Last edited:
I'm excited to see this. Apple isn't one to throw the kitchen sink on first releases, they're all about crafting the right narative with v1 from an experience perspective, and VR/AR are in dire need of this.
If priced competitively, this could do very well since it may come with access to all App Store apps.
If priced competitively, this could do very well since it may come with access to all App Store apps.
I can hear this before the iPhone came out. Just replace "headsets" with "full screen phones" and "blocks off vision" with "has no full tactile keyboard"