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First Real-World Look at Apple Mixed-Reality Headset Parts Seemingly Shown in Leaked Images

I'll just repeat myself, so apologies.

Right now I am not in the market for anyone's AR/VR call it what you will… certainly not at USD3,000.

But!
But! I want to be convinced that I need it, dammit! 🤣

Many more years ago than I care to remember Steve Jobs convinced me to go and queue overnight to buy the 1st iPhone. I had no intention to go and buy one… I did.
It changed my life.

That's magic.
 
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Banana to scale

Screenshot 2023-03-13 at 16.44.03.png
 
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DHagan4755 said:
Is Apple going to treat this headset as a "hobby" like they did with Apple TV as a cover in case it doesn't do well? 🤔
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I doubt they would use that term since Tim Cook has gone on the record many times that he thinks XR is the future. They will probably set expectations about this being an early product. It is a lot more complex then a watch and the watch took a couple years before it felt ready for the mass market.

The Apple TV actually feels like it might be slowly becoming more than a streamer. Apple updating the processor on a regular basis seems to have resulted in a few more games then there used to be. Part of the problem was that the A10X just couldn't run a lot of games that needed newer GPU features.
 
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terminator-jq said:
Really hoping to be pleasantly surprised by this device, especially for the rumored $3000 price (which at this point is far above any consumer level headset). The rumored hardware sounds amazing but it’s the software that will make or break it.

This can’t just be a VR version of an iPhone in the same way the iPad was originally just a big iPhone. This will really need some killer features out of the gate. As a developer and content creator, I’m excited about the possibilities but at the same time I don’t want 3rd party apps to carry this thing.

If Apple wants to sell this headset at pro level prices then let’s see it do some pro level things (3D design, 3D scanning, multiple virtual screens at various sizes, VR app development tools, etc). If I wanted a headset for fun, I’d just buy PSVR2 and save the extra $2500.
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That's really what this product is: a developer tool. Kuo has reported that the mass market VR/AR device will be released a year later for a much cheaper price, and that Apple is already working on v3 and v4 of that device in the pipeline.
 
MacRumors said:


Images of what appear to be components for Apple's upcoming mixed-reality headset have today been shared online.

mr-white-apple-headset-leaked-ribbon-cables.jpg

The images come from a Twitter user with a protected account who has a track record for sharing accurate information about Apple components. Three of the pictures show shaped ribbon cables that contour around a user's eyes, and may be used to connect display components to a board. Another appears to show an array of three sensors or cameras along another flexible ribbon of a similar length.

mr-white-apple-headset-leaked-sensors.jpg

The series of images are accompanied by a "smiling face with sunglasses" emoji, and while they are not explicitly tied to Apple's headset, the shape of the ribbon cables reinforces indications that they are indeed designed for the upcoming device.

The first-generation mixed-reality headset is expected to be unveiled in June at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, followed by a launch sometime later in the year. To date, other no real-world images of components for Apple's mixed-reality headset have leaked online, but as the device's announcement looms and mass production begins, more images are likely to emerge.

Article Link: First Real-World Look at Apple Mixed-Reality Headset Parts Seemingly Shown in L
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Thank goodness for this leak. Maybe now we can finally stop seeing that ridiculous ski goggle render.
 
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It´s not engineers that say it was not ready for release, it is the Design team that was pushing to go straight to the eyeglasses version..

Engineers =Big concern but NOT the case..

Industrial Design team that was pushing for waiting another 3 years = perhaps not a huge concern.


It will be a tight device with 7 years of development behind it, all in all... I am sure there is SOMETHING we are not aware of that makes Apple confident to push it out the door...
 
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terminator-jq said:
Let’s hope they learned from that awful Apple Watch OG launch!

Although even if it is the perfect headset, VR has tried for years to gain popularity and most consumers just aren’t interested… Sony couldn’t even sell out of their preorders. AR glasses have much better potential for mass appeal but who knows… Maybe Apple might be the ones to make VR pop!
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It has been mentioned several times that Apple's VR is just a stepping stone to their AR.
 
I'm a little surprised these parts leaked. Usually when it comes to new first gen products, Apple guards them pretty well. They didn't even begin production of the first gen iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch until after they announced them to avoid leaks. Someone at Apple is leaking this I think.
 
DHagan4755 said:
Is Apple going to treat this headset as a "hobby" like they did with Apple TV as a cover in case it doesn't do well? 🤔
Click to expand...

I'm actually with Tim's thinking on this one, they can't just launch AR glasses in 2027+ and have a bunch of apps and games and devs ready, they have to cultivate that ecosystem starting now. But that's the real game eventually. So it may not be a huge seller at the rumored starting price, but it's going to start that developer ecosystem, which is highly important. Like, which developer is going to make something like a Horizon Call of the Mountain for them?
 
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aibloop said:
Why are you in an Apple enthusiast forum when you do not care about Apple products? But yeah, these pictures are no guarantee to be from AR/VR device, esp since photo nr 1 is same cable flipped to make it look like is definitely a glasses outline.
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I am a huge Apple fan and an Apple product user, I care very much. I just find the majority of people to be insufferably gullible when it comes to the "rumors" and "reports"... especially surrounding what Mark Gurman pulls out of his ass. It seems like every day the rumors become more absurd and opposite what Apple would do.
 
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They're old HomePod parts though 😂, you can't violate anything by showing IP that's already been released to the public.
 
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UltimaKilo said:
That's really what this product is: a developer tool. Kuo has reported that the mass market VR/AR device will be released a year later for a much cheaper price, and that Apple is already working on v3 and v4 of that device in the pipeline.
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I doubt that one will be mass market either, it will iteratively get there. A $1500 headset will allow it to be more in the budget of corporate spenders and existing high end headsets. These are basically computers. The average consumer will only spend that much if it replaces other devices. I think Apple needs something really low end in an iPad price range aimed at media consumption, but it might make more sense to launch such a device in a couple years when there is enough content to be worth buying a device. There should be high end and low end just like the iPad line where the low end is aimed at consumption and the high end as a computer. The glasses are probably in another category entirely. I see that as more in the Apple Watch space.
 
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