I think their next realistic growth opportunity is obviously the car and they really should just throw as much engineering resources, research and development on that and don’t rush it. Have it ready by 2027 to at least have something that is a true successor to the iPhone. The areas the car really needs to shine on is autonomy the most. This I believe will require change in infrastructure beyond the vehicle itself. Apple needs to build out a virtual road network with intelligent agents that help keep the vehicle safe while it drives autonomously. So, light and telephone poles maybe having that see upcoming speeding vehicle and can warn the Apple car a crazy drive is up ahead, be cautious. The next step, replace Uber and Lyft with its own driver share service. Include it as part of Apple One, $99 a month, anytime, anywhere.
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First Apple Mixed Reality Headset Rumored to Focus on Gaming, Media, and Communication
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It will do very well for Apple. As ARKit has been out for a few years, it will be exciting and interesting seeing what apps developers and Apple will introduce when it launches. Yeah, there will some gaming apps, but there's far more potential than that.
My bet is it will look more like eyeglasses and communicate with a recent iPhone via a UWB link for processing.
My bet is it will look more like eyeglasses and communicate with a recent iPhone via a UWB link for processing.
Not in its current form. But wait several years as the tech evolves and becomes less intrusive. I can see a fashionable set of glasses becoming a standard interface, with bone-conducting speakers built in. That's not quite my cup of tea, but I can imagine how that could replace an iPhone.
You just described every reason to believe that it won't.... "spatial audio, 3D sound.... when you separately buy AirPods Pro 2". I'm sure it will have decent built in sound, but they'll want to drive another purchase.... it's kind of what they do with EVERY product.
That wasn't what was wrong with it. You don't seem to understand the product category... almost no smart speakers are unwired and the ones that have been didn't sell. It was not a Bluetooth speaker like you described in any way, shape, or form.
Three things doomed it.
1. Siri (AI assistant's clinically retarded cousin that can't do crap right)
2. Price
3. Initial resistance to open the platform up to non-Apple services which came too late and with mixed results.
Bonus, HomeKit. 90% of smart devices don't work with HomeKit but work with everything else in the world. Home automation is a smaller yet big reason people get smart speakers. The most common home automation and smart devices don't do HomeKit.
K, I guess I don’t follow that category closely. It definitely didn’t appeal to me as a solid value like you said.
Of course the modern versions are more complex but the headset VR set has been around for decades. I remember experimenting with one from iPix around 2000 as one example. It was based on QuickTime VR which was an early apple effort at this same thing
Before Apple Watch: I can tell time on my phone and I don’t like wearing watches. This product is gonna flop
After Apple Watch: everybody be wearing this damn thing and aside from AirPods, is THE companion device for iPhone users
Sure, but it's like saying in 2006 that pocketable computers (calculators) have been around for 35 years, and PDA's have been around for almost 15 years, and only nerds and a few business types ever carry those around, so how is this new phone Apple is developing going to succeed? (yeah, it's not exactly the same, cell phones were already popular, but you can adjust the timeframe back ten years or whatever)Of course the modern versions are more complex but the headset VR set has been around for decades. I remember experimenting with one from iPix around 2000 as one example. It was based on QuickTime VR which was an early apple effort at this same thing
I'm fine with predictions that VR won't be wildly successful, but using the reasoning of "they've been pushing for it for 40 years and it's never been successful" is just plain stupid. The tech to do it even decently well has only been available for a decade or so. And it's already at least mildly successful, with an estimated 10 million sales of the Quest 2 alone.
Spot on. I remember the experts 'splaining why the iPhone would flop. Non mechanical keyboard, competing with wireless telecom giants Motorola, Ericsson, and Nokia. Even the iPod, with the retort "Who asked for a thousand songs in your pocket." And of course iPad being just a giant iPhone with no potential. So many people have stunted imaginations. Cracks me up.
I think the real market with huge potential will be AR, and the physical realization will be similar to glasses, using a newer iPhone for AR processing. Yeah...some game-related VR, but not at the same level.
AirPods Pro are probably the best hardware, albeit lacking the software/UI you most want.
Both that & Glasses focus on providing spacial perception: move your head, the data (sound, light) source stays in the same place. With careful design, user can perceive lots of data coming from many directions, turning to focus attention on one in particular.
It’s nice to read a comment from someone who gets it, every once in a while.
Hmm that’s an interesting view. I’d like to know why you think that (not trying to sound mean. I honestly do want to know why you have that view just out of interest).
In my thinking, the AR glasses would be the easier sale. Basically like a glasses version of the Apple Watch. I can already imagine getting GPS directions, holding and placing virtual items, having an AR group call, maybe even being able to virtually extend the screen of a MacBook Pro. It would basically be like a hud. As long as they are priced under $999 I can see them being popular, $599 and they will fly off shelves.
This mixed reality headset is estimated to cost $2000… with a focus on games, media and communication… If we just take gaming. Apple is not really associated with higher level AAA gaming. Perhaps that can change but for now, the VR scene is ruled by Sony, Valve and Facebook through Oculus; all of whom have long relationships with AAA game publishers, an extensive game ecosystem and offer VR headsets for under $500.
For media consumption and even communication, we have to consider the fact that this mixed reality headset will obviously be far heavier than any pair of glasses. Wearing it for long periods of time will be uncomfortable making it far more of a niche item that can only be used in short burst.
Again as a developer it sounds very exciting. Possibilities could be very cool. However as a consumer, I just can’t imagine that many people shelling out $2000 for this. I can definitely see far more people being willing to spend $500-$1000 on some sleek AR glasses that are comfortable enough to wear all day.
Oculus (Rift) has been around for at least 5 years.... and it's still a Niche Nerd Gadget. Outside of the tech nerd community, no one knows or cares what an Oculus is. And that's saying a lot, because Oculus is the VR headset that should have the first-mover advantage.
I know of 1 person, among my nerd circle of friends, that has an Oculus. He's never taken it out of the living room. It stays in the living room because it's a great conversation piece when guests come over. So yeah, VR (or Meta or whatever) headsets will be a very tough sell. And it will be no different for Apple unless they magically do something to hit it out of the ballpark.
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the question remains. what content creator will support vr on Mac? the consensus among game devs is that apple sucks for games and none can handle vr. hardly any would support vr on an apple device via third party engines. what will it take for any of them to pick up native development for exclusive apple vr content?
I'll believe it when I see it. And probably still not believe in it.
I don't see people going gaga for the communication aspect of it. I don't see video content being developed for it other than some initial content to show it off. (But those pretty screen savers in VR!!!). And same thing with the games space except for existing VR ports and a slow trickle of VR games that are made.
But if anyone can do it I guess it's Apple. Although I think Nintendo is a position to popularize VR for gaming with the next generation of the Switch. ...Because not only is the Switch a trojan horse VR form factor but Nintendo makes games.
I don't see people going gaga for the communication aspect of it. I don't see video content being developed for it other than some initial content to show it off. (But those pretty screen savers in VR!!!). And same thing with the games space except for existing VR ports and a slow trickle of VR games that are made.
But if anyone can do it I guess it's Apple. Although I think Nintendo is a position to popularize VR for gaming with the next generation of the Switch. ...Because not only is the Switch a trojan horse VR form factor but Nintendo makes games.
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Actually, yes. There was a LOT of hype and curiosity about what Apple could do with an iPhone after the massive success of the iPod.
People were walking around with iPods to play music and there were nascent smartphones. Combinging them and then adding in a reasonable for the time web browser was a good insight but it had a basis in what was already around.
The problem with these devices is that they don't have a similar use case outside of gaming. HOWEVER...
If remote work sticks around, I can see shared virtual 3D workspaces and similar things becoming popular. Games... the Mac has never been a gaming powerhouse and it doesn't seem like they have interest in getting AAA games on the platform.
It's even worse with Apple Silicon Macs since we can't install Windows in a Bootcamp partition.
Good question. Apple has burned and alienated many game developers in the past.
And VR? Most developers for VR are the same companies and engineers that code for the gaming industry.
Apple doesn’t even have a real gaming ecosystem. It may become a real challenge to convince game developers to create high quality games for this.