I'm of the opinion that VR is a solution in search of a problem. So many companies have tried and failed in this arena.
Pretty much the broad "before" opinion in general...
I'm of the opinion that the light bulb is a solution in search of a problem. So many companies have tried and failed in this arena. We have perfectly fine candles.
I'm of the opinion that a horseless carriage is a solution in search of a problem. So many companies have tried and failed in this arena. We have perfectly fine horse-drawn carriages.
I'm of the opinion that these aero-planes is a solution in search of a problem. So many companies have tried and failed in this arena. We have perfectly fine automobiles. If God wanted us to fly...
Etc. A very good implementation of something that can completely control what our eyes see and our ears hear is a device that would have endless applications. Think Star Trek Holodeck or Matrix-like experiences sans touch & smell (in version 1 anyway). The many problems/opportunities that such a device can address are towards endless. My question is can Apple- or anyone else- make something that good in 202X?
The problem with VR is that if you look at someone, you are also filming the person. Most people do not want to be filmed. Nobody knows if you record the footage and what happens with it. I still remember the word "glassholes" for the people who wore Google Glasses many years ago.
Where did the term "glassholes" come from? Us Apple people? We put down ANY innovation that does NOT come from Apple... until Apple goes there themselves. Then our very passionate opinions flip seemingly overnight.
Hop back in history and look at how we relentlessly ridiculed the "abominations" and certain "fragmentation" of phablet-sized phones while Apple clung to 3.5" and then 4" as "perfect" sizes. Man purses? Pants with bigger pockets? One handed use? We had a pile of points terribly WRONG about phones with screens bigger than 4" until... (you know the rest of this story).
Hop back and look how we ridiculed lossless audio BEFORE Apple went there... how we ridiculed NFC before Apple rolled out ApplePay... how we ridiculed the idea of a 4K AppleTV while Apple clung to 1080p and how we ridiculed the idea of a 1080p AppleTV while Apple clung to 720p. And on and on.
It's always a stupid thing that "99% don't need" until Apple gets there... then it's "shut up and take my money" and "best <whatever> ever" and "how did we ever get by without <whatever>?" Passionate critics flip flop into gushing evangelists as soon as the terrible, awful, stupid <whatever> that "99% don't need" rolls out with an Apple logo on it. This will be no different.