Apple MR headset project beset by technical and leadership issues
Apple has reportedly struggled to get its secretive mixed-reality headset project off the ground amid both technical and leadership challenges, though the device may still see a 2023 release.
Apple mixed-reality headset
The iPhone maker has been rumored to be working on a high-end headset device that combines both augmented and virtual reality functionalities. However, a new report from The Information details some of the struggles Apple has faced developing the device.
For one, the group behind the headset is reportedly isolated from the rest of Apple. CEO Tim Cook is said to "rarely" visit the team and hasn't been active in the project. Former Dolby executive Mike Rockwell, who leads the team, has had to fight to receive assistance from other parts of the company.
The team working on the project is also said to work out of offices in Sunnyvale that are several miles away from Apple Park. That added to the project's "invisibility to the rest of Apple."
Apple has been working on the project for years. In 2016, for example, it gave Apple board members a sneak peek at early iterations of the device. At the time, most of the prototypes were jury-rigged -- and included variants that were based on the HTC Vive or ran Microsoft Windows.
Former Apple design chief Jony Ive also had reservations about the project, apparently shooting down the idea of a dedicated VR headset because such devices "alienated users from other people by cutting them off from the outside world, made users look unfashionable and lacked practical uses."
The hesitation to do a full VR headset is why led to the idea of a mixed-reality device.
Other design challenges included working with the headset's battery technology. Team members wanted to incorporate swappable batteries in the wearable to allow users to wear it for hours at a time. However, that idea was scrapped and the headset is now said to have a battery that lasts "several hours." Sources claim that the device could still see a release in the second half of 2023.
This is not the first report that has shed light on Apple's apparent headset struggles. Bloomberg previously detailed issues with the wearable ranging from camera problems to challenges related to overheating.
Read on AppleInsider
Apple mixed-reality headset
The iPhone maker has been rumored to be working on a high-end headset device that combines both augmented and virtual reality functionalities. However, a new report from The Information details some of the struggles Apple has faced developing the device.
For one, the group behind the headset is reportedly isolated from the rest of Apple. CEO Tim Cook is said to "rarely" visit the team and hasn't been active in the project. Former Dolby executive Mike Rockwell, who leads the team, has had to fight to receive assistance from other parts of the company.
The team working on the project is also said to work out of offices in Sunnyvale that are several miles away from Apple Park. That added to the project's "invisibility to the rest of Apple."
Apple has been working on the project for years. In 2016, for example, it gave Apple board members a sneak peek at early iterations of the device. At the time, most of the prototypes were jury-rigged -- and included variants that were based on the HTC Vive or ran Microsoft Windows.
Former Apple design chief Jony Ive also had reservations about the project, apparently shooting down the idea of a dedicated VR headset because such devices "alienated users from other people by cutting them off from the outside world, made users look unfashionable and lacked practical uses."
The hesitation to do a full VR headset is why led to the idea of a mixed-reality device.
Other design challenges included working with the headset's battery technology. Team members wanted to incorporate swappable batteries in the wearable to allow users to wear it for hours at a time. However, that idea was scrapped and the headset is now said to have a battery that lasts "several hours." Sources claim that the device could still see a release in the second half of 2023.
This is not the first report that has shed light on Apple's apparent headset struggles. Bloomberg previously detailed issues with the wearable ranging from camera problems to challenges related to overheating.
Read on AppleInsider
Comments
I get that. But... I just happened to talk to a friend who ordered an Oculus because she experienced using one first hand and was absolutely blown away by it. This friend is (1) over 50, (2) generally very focused on her appearance (this is a girly girl, not a nerd girl), and (3) not at all technical. She just found the experience so incredibly compelling that she had to have it. She had never even heard of Oculus before and knew very little about VR.
I know it's one data point, but it was so different from what I expected that I am really reconsidering the merits of the Ive-style argument. I think he might be really wrong about how widespread the appeal of VR might be.
If Apple can offer something technically superior to Oculus (and I'm sure they can), at a decent price, and marketed with the usual Apple marketing, I think they could do very well.
It's a shame that the person leading the effort doesn't have the ability to make that case to senior management.
The VR hardware itself works adequately even though it's still in its infancy from a consumer standpoint.
I'm sure Apple can make something better than what I currently own. However it won't be cheaper, not with Apple's business model and gross margins that's for sure.
The bigger problem is the current lack of compelling content. I have a few games and the only one that truly stands out is Half-Life: Alyx. There are other environments and scenarios such as sitting in a virtual living room and watching 3D movies and videos or exercise apps.
My main issue with the technology is that I hate HMDs, headphones, skiing goggles, scuba masks, etc. They aren't comfortable.
My guess is that most of Apple's senior management team have tried the various competitors' HMDs as well as various kinds of content. For a brief interval there were HMDs that accommodated smartphones (like Google Cardboard and more carefully crafted ones); I had a Mattel one that looked like the old school View-Master. I no longer own the View-Master since it only accommodated a handful of iPhone models, none of which I still own.
I believe PS4 has a VR option; Sony has announced VR coming for PS5.
And let's not forget Nintendo Virtual Boy (1995).
There were also "arcade" implementations of VR like the Aladdin Magic Carpet ride at Disney's EPCOT Center also back in the mid-Nineties so it's not like VR is new tech. Apple execs should be familiar with it.
It's worth pointing out that recent market studies have shown that most VR headsets end up collecting dust after a short spurt of interest. Again, I think this tied heavily to the lack of compelling content and experiences. It's not like anyone is going to use a VR HMD to watch a regular 2D movie or listen to Spotify.
I said “no way!”
I still like to gloat about people who can’t see the future.
https://www.theinformation.com/articles/the-inside-story-of-why-apple-bet-big-on-a-mixed-reality-headset
Some more quotes from the article are here:
https://www.idownloadblog.com/2022/05/17/apple-headset-development-challenges-report/
There's a description of early prototypes being held by a crane due to the weight. Modern hardware is much lighter, like the HTC Vive Flow:
The article describes having an outer display layer that shows the user's eyes.
It would be better than closed-off like VR while offering the same high quality passthrough merging of digital and real images to the user. If it was a wrap around display, it could make the goggles near invisible. This would add to the cost having an extra camera per eye and a display. It would look a bit unusual from the side, it would need to be quite slim so the display layer was close to the eyes. It would make a huge difference to people around to see the eyes though and it allows for full VR experiences.
The technology will also play a big part in cars (AR-HUDS) so the glasses angle isn't the only one.
Of course, as Balmer might say, it's all going to be about 'content, content, content!' so that needs to be taken care of too.
I'd love to see my glasses/sunglasses let me see my phone content hands free even without any extra information overlaid.
Remember that several years ago people were mounting their smartphones into "dumb" HMDs. The bigger problem is content not the number of wires coming from the VR HMD.
Go ahead. Put on a VR HMD and do some sort of 30 minute aerobic workout session. Then try to take sip of water. You won't find it without ripping off the HMD. There are plenty of concrete limitations of VR HMDs.
And yeah, the discontinued Oculus Rift S has a video passthrough mode and it still sucks.
AR vs MR is tough one. Even if AR holds much more practical promise, and technical wow factor, VR and MR might be much more attractive for the average person that mostly just wants to enjoy content, watch movies, enjoy their 360 or 180 camera recordings, and play VR games.
https://www.autocarpro.in/news-international/continental-interior-camera-and-oled-display-paired-in-vehicle-apillar-to-improve-driver-safety-41133
As long as it doesn't distort the eyes too much, it will be ok and would be better than the blindfolded look. It would look weird if it was warped all over the face:
It would work best to have a projection that changes when viewing from left-right or have a smaller projected area. A small area would be more durable and keep the cost down.
If most manufacturers are aiming for ski goggle size, Apple might be aiming for swimming goggle size where the display size would be like the Apple Watch over each eye:
If they are projecting light into the eye directly, the display can sit quite close to the eye. If the user has to look through a lens, it will need to sit further out and more likely to show distortion at different angles. A lighter/smaller device like this would be doing external processing and streaming video from an external device.
I think Apple needs to get this to a $799 entry price at most, ideally $499 and if may require an iPhone 14 or M1 Mac/iPad to work with the streaming. 3-5 hour battery for the first version would be ok and potentially the legs can detach for charging like the Apple Pencil and for different styles.
https://english.stackexchange.com/a/132919