More like
couldn't out-over-engineer Apple 
/j
Or maybe they just didn’t want to price themselves out of the AR/VR market - or at least out of their targeted tier of it.
I’d prefer if they focused on just making a display device. If all the power-hungry tasks (both in terms of computing and wattage) were handled by my existing devices, like a MacBook or iPhone, then the slim,
lightweight headset could simply serve as a screen for my eyes with only the necessary sensors (cameras, IMU, etc.). Perhaps this approach could also help reduce the cost of the device. Hopefully, advances in technology over the years, like Wi-Fi 7, could enable such a solution. I know there are devices like that already. But they're not Apple
Thankfully, they didn’t put the battery in the headset.