For a real take on this FT "rumor": https://daringfireball.net/2023/03/to_ship_or_not_to_ship_headset_edition
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Report: Apple CEO Tim Cook Ordered Headset Launch Despite Designers Wanting to Wait for AR Glasses
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As your list shows, Apple's track record has been pretty spotty when it comes to services (Ping, MobileMe, Maps, Siri), but on the HW side, their batting average is pretty good.
Fun fact: both the G4 Cube and the iPod Hi-Fi happened on Steve Jobs' watch.
Tim Cook's Apple track record on HW to date is pretty solid.
I don't understand how this is a surprise. Every product Apple has launched has generally had its 1st generation release be pretty much a "Beta" and "out in the wild field test" on loyal customers.
Tim Cook or Steve, this is not new.
Tim Cook or Steve, this is not new.
If you look into the history of Oculus, one of the worlds most popular VR headsets, it started off in 2009 with a then 16 year old Palmer Luckey building VR headsets in his parents garage. He built his first prototype of the Rift in 2010 and then in 2012 started off a kickstart campaign. So, in less than 4 years Palmer Luckey had a physical working VR headset that people could see and touch, granted it was a prototype but it was out their for people to see. Apple on the other hand are reported to have been in 'active' development of their VR headset for 7 years (and counting) and they still have nothing to show for it. Yes people have 'heard' about it, even MR reporting that some Apple executives had been given demos of work in progress units because there has been no proof or evidence to support this.
Just an idea, no money, putting together what he can and within 4 years has a working prototype of the Oculus Rift. Apple on the other hand, more money than god (just a phrase/term of use), more designers and developers than god (again phrase/term of use) and still nothing, 7 years and counting. Just goes to show that having all the money in the world to does not get you what you want.
The Apple Watch and AirPods - both new product categories and SW platforms for Apple - were "basically risk free"?
And what about the transition to Apple Silicon?
(I still remember when the AW first came to market, it was universally panned a flop and proof that Tim can't hack it without Steve - and yet the AW has been a tremendous success by almost any measure.)
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It’s already late cmon man it’s 2023, Tim is right
Apple CEO Tim Cook sided with operations chief Jeff Williams in pushing to launch a first-generation mixed-reality headset device this year, against the wishes of the company's design team, the Financial Times reports.
The timing of the mixed-reality headset's launch has apparently been a cause of considerable contention at Apple. The company's industrial design team cautioned that devices in the category were not yet ready for launch and wanted to delay until a lightweight AR glasses product had matured several years later. On the other hand, Apple's operations team wanted to ship an early version of the product in the form of a VR-focused ski goggle-like headset that allows users to watch 3D videos, perform interactive workouts, or make FaceTime calls with virtual avatars.
Tim Cook, who served as Apple's operations chief prior to becoming CEO, reportedly sided with Jeff Williams, overruling objections from Apple's designers and pressing for an early launch with a more limited product. Speaking to the Financial Times, former Apple engineers who worked on the device described the "huge pressure to ship."
Upon the departure of design chief Jony Ive in 2019, Apple's design team now reports directly to Williams. While design led the direction of Apple's products under Steve Jobs, employees have noticed that operations is increasingly taking control over product development under Cook's leadership. One former engineer said that the best part of working at Apple was devising engineering solutions to meet the "insane requirements" of the design team, but that has apparently changed in recent years.
Apple's headset has reportedly been in active development for seven years, twice as long as the original iPhone prior to its launch. The device is seen as being tied directly to Tim Cook's legacy, as Apple's first new computing platform developed entirely under his leadership.
The company is still expecting to sell only around a million units of the headset during its first year on sale at a ~$3,000 price point. Nevertheless, Apple is purportedly preparing a "marketing blitz" for the product later this year.
Article Link: Report: Apple CEO Tim Cook Ordered Headset Launch Despite Designers Warning It Wasn't Ready
Totally agree about the sound levels! I also used to go to CBGs way back when, and can love loud music. It’s just not something I would routinely do anymore. Likewise, with movies, I don’t like being drowned in noise. It doesn’t make the experience more ‘real.’ Just more loud! What I mostly love about ‘true‘ IMAX screens is the width of the images and the giant screen size with the slight curve. It is just so expansive.
When IMAX realized they could expand their product monetization by selling an “IMAX” scheme to film processors and theaters who could then show films on tiny non-IMAX quality screens, I also knew that this technology had seen its heyday. There are only 2 actual IMAX screens in Manhattan - one at the Museum of Natural History (which won’t be showing any blockbusters 😂) and one at 66th Street (Lincoln Square).
Just an statement, from Palmer Luckey noone expected anything because ther was nothing he has done on VR that was Wordlwide known.
And from Apple everyone tho Whole world expect everything, and yes enevn when you have all the money of the world and also more people working more security breaches and waluable data could be stolen, then it takes longer than it.
Just go find first Apple One build in the garage ... and see how many of them sold and what was the profit and who were the consumers.
Obviously you are not a manager and not have been managing just a group of people not even 5, because if you did then you would have not write such nonsence.
Whatever it is, it better not be what any of these articles anticipate. It needs to be on the tech level of UFO's the military keeps reporting. AR disposable contact lenses comes to mind.
Most Apple users dont want state-of-the-art design and innovation because they wouldn’t tolerate the teething pains which come with real innovation. If you have ever mocked folding phones for the crease then you dont actually understand innovation even if the product doesn’t appeal to you.
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Maybe wait until the baby is born before drowning it in the bathtub?
I know of one IMAX theather on Long Island that is a reasonable distance from me. But it's not one I would regularly go to.
I didnt know IMAX movies were shown on smaller non-IMAX screens. Guess I never though about it. The one thing I did notice that I like is most theaters now have stadium seating.
and then all the sudden people will blame Tim when it ends up like the s7 or when it's unusable ._.
yeah, the theater near me just got stadium seating after they renovated, its nice ngl
I only mock folding phones for the folding.
Your statement is silly. Mocking something because you think it is a dumb idea doesn't mean you "don't actually understand innovation".
I have a Quest 2 and the older PS VR, whilst they are fun I only use them occasionally however their price allows for that. A $3k unit has to be something I’m going to want to use regularly. Possibly there are business related uses and obviously they’re the ultra tech enthusiasts but time will tell if there are 1 million of them. It definitely needs to have some valuable unique features to justify the currently guessed pricing.
At the end of the day, the best way of verifying the accuracy of this report is to see what does end up making to market, and see whether it reflects Apple's values and ideals.
The more I think about it, the more I feel this article just doesn't add up. I am not ready to accuse the financial times of peddling clickbait just yet, but it sure feels pretty close to it.
The more I think about it, the more I feel this article just doesn't add up. I am not ready to accuse the financial times of peddling clickbait just yet, but it sure feels pretty close to it.
Apple most definitely had working prototypes for all 7 of those years – possibly even within the first month. They just didn't release it as a consumer product because it wasn't the product they wanted, yet. They don't need sales to fund further development until it's right.
The Apple Watch could've used at least another year or two in the lab. The Series 0 was a mistake and Apple essentially admitted it by releasing a new Series 1 at the same time as the Series 2. Maybe they learned the lesson and instead of launching a new product that could use more development time, they've been iterating on it in private.
I'm looking forward to seeing what will effectively be Reality Glasses Series 5, released as the first gen.
Couldn't even get a combined charging solution like AirPower through to launch due to design/engineering barriers, so I'll not hold my breath for this massive white elephant.
Yes, the a*hole head of the IMAX organization came up with a scheme whereby they could 'sell' the IMAX branding and a facsimile of the technology to be applied in post-production to film producers. So now all across the world there are theaters with crappy(!!!) little(!!!) and dim screens where the showings are labeled as "IMAX." It is horrendous and beyond disappointing.