Report: Apple CEO Tim Cook Ordered Headset Launch Despite Designers Wanting to Wait for AR Glasses

[daanodinot]

“They saud the same thing about the iphone”


Oh right, totally same situation because everyone in the world already uses and depends on vr like they did with phones before the iphone.

The difference is: the phone was already a proven form factor. The products - 'smart' phones especially - just sucked.

VR/AR glasses are not a proven form factor outside of niche applications. Doesn't mean it will fail. But it's a big difference.

 

[daanodinot]

Clearly, Tim Cook wants to retire with a bang. That's not how technology works unfortunately.

 

[UMHurricanes34]

Well if we’re being honest the original iPhone didn’t have copy and paste. So yeah, this not releasing polished products started with Steve Jobs.

To me, this summarizes the differences between Steve Jobs Apple vs Tim Cook Apple. Steve’s Apple did fewer things because it put care into each thing it decided to do. Tim’s Apple tends to be more of a mile wide, inch deep approach. Apple Watch was ann entirely unfocused device at launch. Instead of honing a small set of interactions to the point of excellence, they threw everything in there and none of it was particularly finished or good. Not to mention the hardware performance and battery life.

Today, consumers expect devices to launch with full App Stores and day 1 developer support. Achieving a focused V1 product is a lot harder in 2023 because standards are higher - mainly thanks to the iPhone.

It will be absolutely fascinating to see how they position this product. This device sounds like a replacement for the Mac more so than the next massive shift in consumer behavior a la iPhone. I.e. the home office is no more, you throw on the headset and have a massive display anywhere you want. No unnecessary external monitor/desk setup needed. For these sorts of use cases, I can see it hitting adoption levels of a product like AirPods Max, which they might (and probably should) be fine with at the rumored price point.

With the murmurs of the cheaper headset being a pretty quick follow up to Reality Pro, Apple means business. And when Apple actually *tries* they create some really fascinating sh*t.

At this point, Apple’s decision to pursue the headset cannot be undone - so I’m excited to see what they’ve been cooking up.

 

[npmacuser5]

Purchasing big ticket items. Vehicles and homes, etc. If the content filmed correctly, could save a huge amount of time and better decisions. Design from a simple room concept to complex systems another time cost savings possibility. Flexible content consumption. One thing I like about the iPad, flexible. Right now watching the oven and typing this post.

 

[Serqetry]

I still don't believe this is a real product. I think the "leakers" have been getting trolled for a while with some R&D experiment at best. This particular story sounds like it could be completely made up.

 

[Born Again]

Where is the "take my money" Meme? That's right because it's a hardsell.

 

[rp2011]

Get it out there. The same as Apple Watch, you got to get it out there to get feedback, to get developers opinions, to get consumer opinions.
I have personally always stayed away from first gen products and been evangelical about telling the average consumer about staying away from them, but have applauded the importance of the products release and applauded the willingness and enthusiasm of early adopters to experience them. It's the chicken or the egg. What comes first? There is only one way you are going to know. YOU HAVE TO GET IT OUT THERE.

Any time there is a new product category, it is such a risky, ballsy thing for any company to undertake and there is only one way to test the waters. GET IT OUT THERE. Rip the bandage off.

 

[txscott]

Don't know if it will be a good product, bad product or meh. I just don't think I'm their customer for this product. I really don't want to wear a thing on my head to, well, do anything other than keep the rain off. Especially something that cuts me off from the world.

I don't play games, not ever, not even casual games. Didn't even ever play Tetris or Landmine back in the day (maybe solitaire a little). I don't want to interact with an avatar of my grandson on FaceTime, I want to see him. I don't want to interact with anybody through goggles. I want a FaceTime attached Apple TV that lets me do FaceTime calls on my 80" TV from the comfortable couch in my Living Room.

So I don't think I'm a VR customer.

AR might be something I'd do, but only if the device looked like and were as light as the regular glasses I wear.

But I'm also totally suspicious of AR as a potential source of advertising. They would have my location and know what I'm looking at. Every store I pass pushes sale notices at me. Every restaurant pushes their specials. Virtual billboards flash in neon. Etc. AR sounds totally dystopian to me. So I may not be their customer there either.

 

[Mrkevinfinnerty]

Clearly, Tim Cook wants to retire with a bang. That's not how technology works unfortunately.

Should've shipped Airpower 🔥🎇

 

[satchmo]

Like every Apple product, it’s about software and hardware working together to solve a problem.

I hope Tim has compelling use cases to tell on launch day how VR headsets are needed beyond gaming.

 

[gaximus]

I was waiting for Apples announcement, to decide between upgrading PSVR2, or Apples VR option. I’m not going to be a beta tester with this announcement

 

[iSee]

> Apple's headset has reportedly been in active development for seven years

If it's not ready now, it probably never will be, not in this iteration.

I guess it's time for them to see what they've got.

(Gotta say though, nothing I've heard about VR headsets makes me think I want to buy one any time soon. The technology has tons of potential, but there needs to be a lot of new and very sophisticated software to support it. It's going to take time... I doubt we'll see anything especially interesting outside of games and porn for, say, five years... if the whole category does fizzle before then.)

 

[txscott]

Apple Music still getting lapped by Spotify eight years after launch for example.

And yet SPOT can't make any money and has resorted to rent seeking with the EU. Net losses the last 4 years with losses in the most current year of $430 million on gross revenues of $11.7 billion. It's like Steve Jobs said about Dropbox/online files years ago, these kinds of things are not businesses, they are features. I also hear they may have jumped the shark by Tik-Tok-ifying their new interface.

 

[npmacuser5]

HomePod is the only Apple product mentioned as an Apple failure product in the last 20 years. It’s always HP. Meanwhile HomePod is back and now leading the way with HP mini

HomePod not a failed product. A quality product with limited uses. Home sound systems for many are multifaceted. If one wants one integrated sound system, HomePod will fail too many folks, myself included. If HomePod meets one’s requirement, hard to find a better sound option.

 

[Alasdair_Scott]

I think Apple got as far as they could with ARKit, LiDAR etc on iPhone and now it’s time to ship the first actual headset. I’m quite sure they know where the pick is going and they’re skating towards where it be, they do however need to get something out there so we can develop, play and the market can help steer future versions.

As Steve Jobs once said, “real artists ship” -- I have faith that Tim Cook and Co know when to get something out of the door.

I’ve been playing with PSVR2 since launch. Apart from the fact the balance on the controllers is slightly odd, it’s really rather good and I can’t wait to see what Apple come up with.

I really, really want controllers. Hand gestures fine but I’d like the option. Roll on WWDC!

 

[fatTribble]

I feel like we’ve been down this path before and Apple has surprised us in good ways. I’ll wait until the release before I’ll have an opinion.

If I were to make a bet, it’s going to be better and less expensive than the rumors predict. Just my two cents.

 

[tridley68]

Sounds like Cooks haste is going to cost them with releasing a product too soon with lots of bugs Tim is beginning to slip.

 

[richinaus]

I (and many others) have been saying it for years: VR/AR an awesome technological solution in search of a problem.

I'll never debate that it isn't impressive, a technological marvel, and super cool.

But I don't need it and I don't want it because it won't improve anything in my personal life or my professional life. I've had probably a dozen different jobs in my life - not one of them would have been easier, better, or more productive with VR/AR.

I can think of many areas where my experience of reality can be augmented [in broad terms as you can use your imagination] -

entertainment
health
shopping
travel
work

We are discussing AR not VR - they are not the same thing.

 

[slb]

We shouldn't judge this until Apple enters the space.

Apple has completely changed the game almost every time they enter a new product category with a perfectly refined device and cohesive user experience.

I think you missed the part in the report that says this is deliberately being shipped before it's been refined, against the wishes of its designers.

 

[jjudson]

Meta is shipping millions of Quest VR headset each year (consistently the best seller tech on Amazon during holidays).

And nearly every person who got them as gifts went: "Wow, this is cool, let me try it".

Fast forward six months -- Mom: "What's in this box? It's just gathering dust and I keep tripping on it. And what are all of these dirty underwear draped all over it? The hamper is two feet away!"

 

[slb]

This article is a total non-story.

The design team would never be expected to set the launch strategy for a new product.

The CEO agreeing with the COO as to whether the product launches as a standalone item or later when a 2nd similar device is ready sounds like the key people who own this decision are aligned.

A "total non-story?" Really?

 

[JamesHolden]

If I were to make a bet, it’s going to be better and less expensive than the rumors predict. Just my two cents.

I think there's a good chance it will be less expensive. I wouldn't be surprised if Apple is the source of the $3K price-point rumor, just so when they release it at $2K, it looks like a much better value. That said, I still think it's likely to be too expensive for most people's comfort.

I don't think it's going to be better, though. If anything, I think a lot of the eager beavers on here are going to be a bit disappointed by version 1. We see this all the time on here. Whenever new products and upgrades are discussed, there's always a long list of amazing potential features, etc. and after launch, many of those people are disappointed.

 

[JamesHolden]

And nearly every person who got them as gifts went: "Wow, this is cool, let me try it".

Fast forward six months -- Mom: "What's in this box? It's just gathering dust and I keep tripping on it. And what are all of these dirty underwear draped all over it? The hamper is two feet away!"

Certainly the case for the few Oculus gift recipients I know.

 

[d686546s]

Killer apps for this technology will only start to appear when their eventual inventors are out in the world using it. Uber would've been impossible if you had to lug around your laptop and connect to a cafe's wifi to call a car. That came from its founders having iPhones and the power of the App Store to make an idea possible.

But this goes back to the initial point: will this headset actually be a product that we will see out in the world being used by people?

Uber became possible because everyone and their dog had a smartphone. Everyone and their dog had a smartphone because the technology had advanced to a stage where it was both feasible and affordable to carry around a big slab of glass.

It's worth repeating that Apple didn't invent the smartphone. Some of the earlier ones were actually quite good, but just not used widely enough to really warrant starting a business that relied on you having an app on your phone. Even in the post-iPhone world some really good smartphone operating systems died because of lack of support.

Any AR product from anyone will only succeed if developers support it, but developers will only support it if people buy it. Even then it's not a given, we're still waiting for some really big apps to support the Watch or even the iPad.

Will people buy it? I don't know, I don't see a big consumer market for ski goggles that cost 3k and don't enable any of the things you described (which, given the part I've quoted above, sort of undermines your point).

Professional use cases maybe, I do think there have been some pretty good examples here, but until the tech matures more I just don't see it.

 

[bodonnell202]

I'm prepared to eat my hat if I'm wrong and plenty of people thought the smartphone in general was a product nobody needed, but I just don't see a clear use case for a product like this -- at least not from Apple and not in the consumer space.

• Immersive gaming is probably a big one, but Apple has never been a gaming platform for these kinds of games.
• Everyday AR might be neat, but not with ski goggles.
• Immersive FaceTime with long-distance partners, family or friends I can see, but the price will be too steep just for that.

That leaves all sorts of business and professional use cases. Frankly I don't know enough about that so I'm not going to make stuff up, but there does not appear to be great traction for others already in the market.

So who is this product really for?

I agree, I'm just not sure who this is for. Thus far VR headsets have mostly found success in gaming, and while there is a market there, I'm not sure it's big enough to be worth Apple's while, especially with the limited success Apple has had in (high end) gaming. I could see AR eyeglasses being more interesting to everyday consumers, but that's clearly not where the technology is at yet.