From www.macrumors.com
Key Apple executives including Tim Cook, Craig Federighi, and Johny Srouji have kept their distance from the company’s mixed-reality headset throughout its development process amid a series of setbacks and compromises, according to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman.
Apple apparently began developing its headset in 2015, using Samsung’s Gear VR and the HTC Vive in early experiments. The headset has reportedly deviated significantly from CEO Tim Cook’s original vision. The product was initially imagined as “a pair of unobtrusive eyeglasses that could be worn all day,” but it has now become a full-blown headset that looks like a pair of ski goggles and requires a separate battery pack due to technological limitations, internal disagreements, and a rush to bring an Apple AR/VR product to market.
Despite Cook’s unwavering view that the device should focus on unobtrusive augmented reality, he was reportedly not deeply engaged in its design and chose to only participate in demonstrations. Cook’s “relative noninvolvement” has sometimes been seen as indecision and caused frustration among staff, leading to delays and concerns about obtaining resources.
Key figures including software chief Craig Federighi have also kept their distance from the headset during its development and have seemed wary of it. Apple’s senior vice president for hardware technologies, Johny Srouji, is believed to privately be a skeptic of the device, comparing it to a science project. He has warned that designing the high-performance chips that the headset requires could distract from new iPhone chips that drive more revenue.
By 2017, Apple purportedly believed that the headset could go on sale by 2020, but the project was mired by hardware and software challenges, and disagreements about which applications to develop for the device. Some of the headset’s features, including the ability to function as an external monitor for a Mac and multi-person video calls, are currently said to be less advanced than Apple originally intended. The company allegedly hopes that “third-party apps will save it.” Apple is already in talks with software and game developers, as well as as entertainment companies, to have apps and content ready for the device by the time it goes on sale.
Apple wishes that users will eventually wear a head-mounted AR device continuously all day, replacing tasks currently accomplished on other devices such as the iPhone and Mac, including web browsing, gaming, email, video calls and collaboration, working out, and meditation, but does not expect this to happen immediately. Internal projections estimate that the product category has the potential to eventually be as big as the Apple Watch or iPad following the addition of new features and a lower price point with new versions of the device.
While Apple initially hoped to sell three million units within the device’s first year on sale, it now expects to sell around 900,000 headsets. The company has decided to sell the device at its approximate cost to make, rather than sell it at a loss as it originally considered. The headset is still on schedule to be announced at WWDC in June.
Popular Stories
iOS 16.5 for iPhone Launching This Week With These New Features
In a press release introducing a new Pride Edition band for the Apple Watch, Apple confirmed that iOS 16.5 and watchOS 9.5 will be released to the public later this week. The software updates have been in beta testing since late March. “The new Pride Celebration watch face and iPhone wallpaper will be available next week, and requires watchOS 9.5 and iOS 16.5,” said Apple on May 9. iOS…
Kuo: Apple ‘Well Prepared’ for Headset Announcement Next Month
Recent reports have converged on the belief that Apple will show off its long-rumored AR/VR headset at WWDC in June, and now Ming-Chi Kuo’s latest predictions also align with the rumors, with the industry analyst claiming that the announcement is “highly likely” and the company is “well prepared” for the unveiling. Concept render by Marcus Kane Previously, Kuo said Apple had pushed back…
iPhone 15 Pro Rumored to See Huge Price Hike
The iPhone 15 Pro models are rumored to be facing substantial price hikes upon their launch later this year, according to recent reports. According to a rumor from an unverified source on Weibo, Apple is planning to increase the price of this year’s iPhone 15 Pro models to widen the gap with the iPhone 15 Plus. The iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max start at $999 and $1,099, meaning that…
Apple Previews iOS 17 Accessibility Features Ahead of WWDC
Apple today previewed a wide range of new accessibility features for the iPhone, iPad, and Mac that are set to arrive later this year. Apple says that the “new software features for cognitive, speech, and vision accessibility are coming later this year,” which strongly suggests that they will be part of iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and macOS 14. The new operating systems are expected to be previewed…
Microsoft Completes Rollout of Basic iMessage Support on Windows 11
Microsoft today announced it has completed its rollout of iPhone support for its Phone Link app on Windows 11, as spotted by The Verge. With the Phone Link app for Windows 11 and the Link to Windows app for iOS, iPhone users can make and receive phone calls, send and receive text messages, and view notifications directly on their PC. Notably, this means Windows 11 technically supports…
iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus Rumored to Feature 48-Megapixel Camera Like Pro Models
The lower-end iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus models launching later this year will be equipped with a 48-megapixel rear camera lens, according to Jeff Pu, an analyst at Hong Kong-based investment firm Haitong International Securities. In a research note today, obtained by MacRumors, Pu said the 48-megapixel lens on these models will use a new three-stacked sensor that can capture more light…
Apple Headset’s Capabilities Said to ‘Far Exceed’ Those of Rival Devices
The Wall Street Journal on Friday outlined what to expect from Apple’s long-rumored AR/VR headset project, corroborating several details previously reported by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman and The Information’s Wayne Ma. Apple headset mockup by designer Ian Zelbo The report indicates that Apple plans to unveil the headset at WWDC in June, and says many sessions at the conference will be related to …
iPhone 16 Pro Models to Have Larger 6.3-Inch and 6.9-Inch Display Sizes, Periscope Zoom Lenses
Tuesday May 16, 2023 8:23 am PDT by Juli Clover
Apple has not notably tweaked iPhone screen sizes since the introduction of the iPhone 12 models in 2020, but that’s set to change with the 2024 iPhone 16 lineup. The iPhone 16 Pro models will have larger display sizes than the iPhone 14 Pro models and the upcoming iPhone 15 Pro models. According to researcher Unknownz21, the iPhone 16 Pro (D93 in Apple’s internal documentation) will feature …
The post Report: Apple Executives Cautious of Mixed-Reality Headset Amid Compromises first appeared on www.macrumors.com
