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Kuo: Apple's AR/VR Headset Announcement is 'Last Hope' for Persuading Investors It Will Be the Next 'Star Product'
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HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
I do if it can do ONE rumored thing it is already rumored to do: provide any-size screen on the go. If it can do only that, it can deliver ANY size MBpro screen, any size iPhone screen that can become any size iPad screen, your favorite desktop screen- even ultrawides- anywhere you happen to go.
Based on that one rumor, this can be the top half of the very desirable MBpro 17"... and 18"... and 20"... and 24". It can deliver that iMac 24" screen, 27", 30", 32" and bigger anywhere one wants to go without having to carry that hefty container everywhere. It can be your biggest, big-screen television with you in your laptop-like bag. It can be an IMAX screen in that laptop bag. Etc.
A chunk of "us" just spent upwards of around $2K for a fixed sized screen with what used to be a whole MAC computer yanked out of it. We gush about it. We try to convince everyone else that they should buy one too. That screen is likely placed it ONE spot somewhere where it will likely live for the duration of its useful life or until Apple decides to obsolete it with iOS updates- whichever comes first. And yet, we evangelize it like it is among the best money we ever spent.
This thing is rumored to be only $1K more than that. It will likely be relatively small, very portable, able to go anywhere one might take along a MB or iPad. Imagine the bottom half of a MB as the keyboard, trackpad and Mac computer MINUS the top half... which would now be virtualized inside the goggles. Anywhere one wants to get some work done on a laptop becomes a spot where they could slip on the goggles and work on any size screen(s). When finished, slip off the goggles like closing the laptop and put them away.
Deliver this one (seemingly simple) thing, and I'd pay $3K for it. Instead of buying a fixed-sized MB ever again, I'd replace my mobile computing with this for (any size) screen and a modern incarnation of a Amiga 500-like keyboard+computer "bottom half" as a new form factor "laptop."
I do the vast amount of my computing at a desk with a 40" Ultra-wide screen. I recently had to spend 10 days away, leaning on a 16" MB. It felt insanely cramped and much less productive working on that "biggest" MB screen (probably ever) available. This product has great potential to resolve THAT problem. Now my much preferred ultra-wide... or 2 of them... or 10 of them... could go with me... in an overall package that may not be much bigger than my current laptop bag.
The power to show our eyes anything that looks like reality... that fools our eyes into thinking that what they see is actually there... means this simple concept and countless others would all become available in this bit of mobile tech. Our "think different" imaginations need to try harder to imagine the very desirable range of potential applications if our eyes can be shown ANYTHING in a realistic way. We're the "think different" crowd. We should try to do that.
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Apple needs a major product failure so they can learn their lesson and focus on their core competencies. They get too distracted.
Although knowing them, they’ll want to recoup that cost by penny pinching their other products.
Although knowing them, they’ll want to recoup that cost by penny pinching their other products.
VR was never booming. people spent $300 on a party trick, no one really used the headset after the initial excitement wears off. otherwise facebook won't be in trouble now.
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$500?! Fully subsidized? it won't appeal to businesses because it doesn't have a keyboard, which makes it not a very good email machine.
As one of the people who didn't understand what an iPad was for when the rumours were circulating, I'll wait and see. Apple don't usually jump in unless they can bring something new to the party.
TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️
Suspended
You sure about that?
Virtual Reality (VR) Market Size And Share Report, 2030
The global virtual reality (VR) market size was estimated at USD 59.96 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach USD 435.36 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 27.5% from 2023 to 2030
As an engineer I find your view flattering !! But unfortunately the truth is that it’s fundamentally wrong when it comes to a consumer electronic product, there has to be some marketing inputs on what the market wants or needs , and some goals and boundaries we need to design in , for example defining the MacBook Air , I was at Intel cpu design team when we got the specs from apple (thermal requirements mostly with a “no fan design” in mind) , we then went ahead and used lpddr memory for the first time , removed some design added some power saving features and delivered.
Asking engineers to be the driving force of a product is not always a good idea , Apple has a good design flow that involves many teams and disciplines and most important the leadership usually shows vision and long term strategy.
Have a good day and sorry for the long response.
If these products were already selling like hot cakes, apple’s couldn’t be the next “star” in consumer electronics. How many mp3 devices were being sold before the iPod? How many touchscreen smartphones were sold before the iPhone? How many tablets were sold before the iPad?
Current sales numbers in the industry cannot be an indication of anything when it comes to Apple.
why don't you ask facebook about how their VR business is doing? they priced the hardware low enough to get a bunch of suckers in. But that's not a market. that's just people who want shiny new toys.You sure about that?
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Virtual Reality (VR) Market Size And Share Report, 2030
The global virtual reality (VR) market size was estimated at USD 59.96 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach USD 435.36 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 27.5% from 2023 to 2030www.grandviewresearch.com
Smart phones, in 2007, had obvious utility and a place in the world. But woe to anyone who was using a Windows CE device. iPhone made the smart phone accessible to the masses and easy to use. The utility was clear. People wanted smart phones that they could use and understand, not some enterprise whiz’s toy. And it sold like hotcakes.
The iPad was framed by Apple as its netbook killer and the third leg of the product strategy. There had been tablets, yet they were awful frankenPCs that were barely usable. Yet when Steve first demoed it, the reaction was viciously against it as being just a giant iPhone. But people started buying it and realizing it had utility as it could go places netbooks couldn’t and was great for casual, stress free browsing or reading. And the iPad 1 sold like hotcakes.
The problem though is that the VR headset isn’t trying to step and improve on an already existent need. People aren’t clamoring for a VR headset. People aren’t looking at them and wishing there was something better. The rote utility is in question. This is much more akin to the tablet than the phone.
Apple is basically going to have to redo the idea of a headset so significantly that it represents essentially a new product category where it defines the utility and as such it makes its own case for purchase (see the iPad).
But, here’s the problem. The iPhone and iPad were both priced wildly aggressively. I still remember being astounded (positively) the iPad would be $499 at launch. If the headset is really going to be $3000, it’s not priced to sell. It’s not giving anyone excited by the idea a reason to try it out. It won’t woo an early adopter who wants to show off. It’s not going to entice someone to make an impulse purchase. $3000 is MacBook Pro with M2 Max territory. And no doubt that would have more utility in just about every situation.
The lingering question is how does Apple define this. And the fever pitch for the phone was at a breaking point. Apple tablets were rumors for a decade before the iPad. But this? I feel a big meh. I hope I’m proven wrong.
The iPad was framed by Apple as its netbook killer and the third leg of the product strategy. There had been tablets, yet they were awful frankenPCs that were barely usable. Yet when Steve first demoed it, the reaction was viciously against it as being just a giant iPhone. But people started buying it and realizing it had utility as it could go places netbooks couldn’t and was great for casual, stress free browsing or reading. And the iPad 1 sold like hotcakes.
The problem though is that the VR headset isn’t trying to step and improve on an already existent need. People aren’t clamoring for a VR headset. People aren’t looking at them and wishing there was something better. The rote utility is in question. This is much more akin to the tablet than the phone.
Apple is basically going to have to redo the idea of a headset so significantly that it represents essentially a new product category where it defines the utility and as such it makes its own case for purchase (see the iPad).
But, here’s the problem. The iPhone and iPad were both priced wildly aggressively. I still remember being astounded (positively) the iPad would be $499 at launch. If the headset is really going to be $3000, it’s not priced to sell. It’s not giving anyone excited by the idea a reason to try it out. It won’t woo an early adopter who wants to show off. It’s not going to entice someone to make an impulse purchase. $3000 is MacBook Pro with M2 Max territory. And no doubt that would have more utility in just about every situation.
The lingering question is how does Apple define this. And the fever pitch for the phone was at a breaking point. Apple tablets were rumors for a decade before the iPad. But this? I feel a big meh. I hope I’m proven wrong.
With the negative hopes from within the apple community, and the fact that VR headsets are more aimed at gamers with massive computer requirements, either apple needs to pull a rabbit out of a hat to make this a star product "for investors"
. I though they were suppose to put something out for the regular consumers, shows how out of touch they are with the current state of economy world wide. But then again, perhaps the timing of all this is off and maybe a few iterations in 5 years, we might get something usable for the masses. I remember getting the apple watch, 3rd gen, used it, got bored with it, and gave it to someone else. that was a product that was small and I didn't care for it on wearing it most of the time. Imagine a massive headset.
. I though they were suppose to put something out for the regular consumers, shows how out of touch they are with the current state of economy world wide. But then again, perhaps the timing of all this is off and maybe a few iterations in 5 years, we might get something usable for the masses. I remember getting the apple watch, 3rd gen, used it, got bored with it, and gave it to someone else. that was a product that was small and I didn't care for it on wearing it most of the time. Imagine a massive headset.
Just an offshoot of marketing. Always have been, always will be. Sure, places may start out with some, but they ALWAYS lean hard towards marketing, eventually.
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I don’t agree with Kuo at all. The announcement event will be focused on convincing developers first, then consumers — if they are convinced, then investors will be convinced. Kuo seems to think that investors drive the market, which is not true.
Apple clearly sees a market for this, either near or long term. I don’t think they would invest in this new market segment unless they saw a return. Comparing their product to others in the market is also impossible — for one thing, we haven’t seen it yet, and the other products don’t have the rich ecosystem that Apple has.
Apple's next product needs to be traditional, familiar and bold at the same time. Its just that its gonna require a lot of investment. The Car is what Apple should be focusing on. A driverless vehicle you can subscribe to, takes you anywhere in a major metropolitan area, pick up groceries for you, drop you off at the doctor, go on road trips, drive to national parks, anytime. This will require investment in infrastructure (roads) to make it safe and make it work. But an autonomous vehicle that can take you almost anywhere you want to go would be revolutionary.
Agreed.
PSVR2 sold a lot fewer units than they had hoped. If the concept were taking off, that wouldn’t have happened.
Oh well, it’s really a question of what Apple learns from this. My guess, is nothing.
Are you familiar with the leaks? This is precisely what they're doing.
The engineers built this headset as a way to demo the software for the glasses product that they're unable to make. And Tim Cook saw it and said ship it. No one ever intended this form factor to be a product outside of Apple.