AR done well, yes; VR no thanks
Some Apple employees are concerned about the usefulness and price point of the company's upcoming mixed-reality headset, The New York Times reports.
Initial enthusiasm around the device at the company has apparently become skepticism, according to eight current and former Apple employees speaking to The New York Times. The change of tone reportedly marks an unprecedented level of concern about a new Apple product inside the company, in stark contrast to previous product launches that were pursued with single-mindedness and enthusiasm.
The first-generation headset is purportedly seen as a bridge to future products that require technological breakthroughs, but many employees are said to have worries about the device's $3,000 price point, utility, and unproven market. Skeptics have questioned if the device is "a solution in search of a problem," unlike the iPod and iPhone. The headset has apparently not been "driven by the same clarity" as Apple's other products.
Some Apple employees have defected from the project due to doubts about its potential, while others have been fired over lack of progress with some of the device's functionality, including Siri. The discontent is said to extend to members of Apple's leadership, some of whom have questioned the device's prospects.
The headset was apparently presented to many of Apple's top 100 executives via a video at a corporate retreat five years ago made by design chief Jony Ive. The video depicted a man in a London taxi wearing an augmented reality headset calling his wife in San Francisco, sharing the sights of London through the husband's eyes.
The New York Times reaffirmed previous reports that the headset will feature a carbon fiber frame, a hip-mounted battery, outward-facing cameras, two 4K displays, prescription lenses for wearers of glasses, and a "reality dial" to increase or decrease real-time video pass-through from the surrounding environment.
Apple has focused on ensuring that the device excels at videoconferencing and time spent as virtual avatars, calling the headset's main application "copresence." There will also be custom high-resolution TV content from Hollywood filmmakers including Jon Favreau. Despite similarities with Meta's headsets and the "metaverse," Apple is expected to pitch the device as something that differs from existing offerings.
The device will also offer tools for artists, designers, and engineers, enabling drawing and image editing in 3D space. There will also be applications for editing virtual reality video using hand gestures. As a result, it is expected to appeal to businesses and design companies more than ordinary consumers. Some employees have allegedly speculated that Apple could again delay the headset's launch, even though manufacturing is now underway for an unveiling in June.
Article Link: Some Apple Employees Seriously Concerned About Mixed-Reality Headset as Announcement Draws Closer
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Some Apple Employees Seriously Concerned About Mixed-Reality Headset as Announcement Draws Closer
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Microsoft is a very different company these days though with someone leading that actually has a vision for the future, unlike in the past with Steve B. as CEO.
Here here!
I would’ve rathered Apple to release a sweet 5.8” (outer LTP display at 120hz), and innner screen at 7.1” - very akin to the Oppo Find N2!
Then keep this at glasses funny secret and release only until fully ready and worked out all the UI and considerable battery life and charging issues and warranty specifics prior to launch. Do not rush prototypes to market.
The fact Tim Cook is rumores to be pressuring release (if true, again just rubies being reported) - means he thinks Apple is in trouble or lagging in this race. Evidently they are.
Will they surprise us as Suzuka who knows but if the camera bump cannot be eradicated or seignificantly reduced like what Samsung was able to do for. The Galaxy 22 to the 23 line in just one generation, along with ZTE’s Nubia 8 Pro phones or Sony’s Xperia 1 II/III/IV have been able to maintain just a slight 3-4mm bump shows something is very wrong.
Apple still does not have a periscope camera with variable optical zoom or a folding phone.
Someone within Apple is leaking this information to the NYT for a reason. It could be to lower expectations/throw the competition off or it could be because they are genuinely concerned that this is a bad product and hope this article will wake the execs at the top up.
I would have preferred them to develop and release an Apple-branded television over this headset (Remember that rumor from ages ago?).
Absolutely. I'm having screen fatigue. Enough is enough.
I keep seeing people say this. "It's not for consumers". "They need a product out there for people to develop software for it for future, lower-cost devices"... Who exactly is going to waste the time and energy developing software for a product that has no customer base? This is clown talk.
If they can indeed create unique immersive content, such as being at a Taylor Swift concert without paying $650 for a ticket and screaming teenage girls spit flying my face, but still feel like I'm there, it could have potential.
Movies and Music videos could be another one, if you want to actually feel like you are looking at the same enemy as Denzel Washingtons character in a movie or even from the perspective of the enemy.
Escapism could be another option, if I just hear and see beautiful beaches or like I am walking through Time Square. Then it could have some potential.
As someone mentioned, smart hands could be a killer app. If you need to fix something on site, but don't know how, someone can guide and point you to installing equipment without being there.
Don't need a monitor, just a keyboard and mouse. Of course this could be the next evolution of the Mac and iOS. Want an 8K screen, you can have it at anytime. Heck, need 4 8K screens, this can do it. In 10 years when economies of scale and the tech get better, it pretty much becomes the primary go to device for many over a MacBook Pro or iMac.
But we are not there yet, so maybe this is the first step to that.
They conveniently don't need to name any sources because it's "leaked". Or maybe it's just completely made up and written by chatGPT.
I wasn’t really addressing the mixed reality bit, because the idea that a chunky headset has any practical mixed reality applications is so silly it didn’t seem worth entering into the conversation.
No doubt Apple intend for mixed reality to be very much the purpose of the eventual iteration of the product that is streamlined and viable, but we’ll talk about that in ten years when it happens.
Not sure why everyone complains about the cost - it's an R&D and market testing high end device that will have lower cost versions of it probably as soon as a year from now (which has already been rumored). Nobody will remember or care the first one cost $3000+..
First generation, proof of concept for $3,000. Even people who have money to burn will struggle to get off the fence for this one.
The 1st gen product will surely have many issues. But still excited to see the new device from Apple.
I think Tim Cook is right on this one…
Sometimes you just have to get into it. iPod was the precursor to iPhone, nobody was happy with the 1st gen iPod at launch. Everyone said it was too expensive and a useless product…
Chill… It doesn’t matter, ill check it out once its out and judge then.
Sometimes you just have to get into it. iPod was the precursor to iPhone, nobody was happy with the 1st gen iPod at launch. Everyone said it was too expensive and a useless product…
Chill… It doesn’t matter, ill check it out once its out and judge then.
You mean like this guy?
Attachments
Sellability Imgine how to sell the product, how to display it … this is going to be like the 3D TV or the curved screen, or the Metaverse.
Apple normally takes those steps in the lab until they have a minimum viable product. Nothing about this sounds like a minimum viable product.
Samsung and Google usually release stuff before it makes sense for people and try to iterate on it and Apple usually beats them to providing the same tech done right.
I’m thinking this will be one of those rare Apple products you sell on Ebay for $6000 twenty-years from now.
Which would do what exactly, other than have an Apple logo and costs 3x what other televisions do?