Apple's headset drastically changed over time & top execs are skeptical
Despite the divergence of the upcoming Apple AR headset from the company's original vision, and skepticism from executives, Tim Cook himself is actively pushing the project forward.
Render of Apple headset
Anticipated to make its debut at WWDC in June, the Apple VR and AR headset is poised to capture significant attention. While much speculation has revolved around its hardware capabilities, it appears that its array of features and functions could be equally extensive.
A new report from Bloomberg on Thursday shares details gleaned from conversations with pepole involved in the headset's development. According to the sources, Apple embarked on the project with a firm belief in the significance of mixed reality but had concerns about potential social isolation caused by such devices.
Initially, the company focused on developing lightweight augmented-reality glasses, but due to technological limitations, the objective gradually shifted towards a product resembling existing devices. This shift was also influenced by the desire to bring a product to market and internal disagreements about the project.
Apple aims for a future where customers can wear the device throughout the day, effectively replacing various daily activities typically carried out on an iPhone or a Mac. These tasks include gaming, web browsing, emailing, engaging in FaceTime video calls, collaborating within applications, exercising, and even practicing meditation.
The company acknowledges that the headset may not have an immediate transformative impact like the iPhone. However, internal projections suggest that with the addition of features and subsequent versions that offer reduced prices, the headset has the potential to reach a level of success similar to that of the iPad or the Apple Watch.
That could contribute over $25 billion annually to the company's revenue. Apple is aware that achieving this level of success will require time.
Initially, the company had hoped to sell around 3 million units per year, but those estimates have been revised to approximately 900,000 units. In comparison, Apple sells over 200 million iPhones annually.
Although the company once considered selling the headset at a loss to get it into the hands of as many people as possible, it may end up selling it at cost.
"Nobody in here -- few people in here -- think it's acceptable to be tethered to a computer walking in here and sitting down," he told a group of students at a 2016 technology conference in Utah. "Few people are going to view that it's acceptable to be enclosed in something, because we're all social people at heart."
According to individuals who have collaborated with him, Cook, despite having firm opinions, was not extensively involved in the detailed design of the headset. This approach contrasts notably with Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, who was known for his distinctive design sensibilities onto Apple products.
"The closest Cook gets to product development is a demo," says one of the people. "But even then, he's not the type of guy who says it should do X and not Y. He's the complete opposite of Steve in terms of having strong opinions on the minutiae."
But sources said that other prominent figures in Apple's upper management, including Craig Federighi, the senior vice president for software engineering, have also maintained a certain level of detachment and expressed caution regarding the headset. For example, Johny Srouji, Apple's senior vice president for hardware technologies, has privately expressed skepticism, compared the project to a science experiment.
According to people involved in the project, Apple is at least four years away froom releasing lightweight AR glasses, if it releases such a product at all. Engineers face technical challenges that involve shrinking components while maintaining processor power and reasonable battery capacity.
For now, rumors say the headset that Apple may announce in 2023 resembles a pair of ski goggles and requires a separate battery pack.
To maintain a connection with the real world, the headset includes an outward-facing display that showcases users' eye movements and facial expressions. Apple considers this feature crucial in distinguishing it from enclosed VR headsets.
According to a source familiar with the device, the external screens enable people to interact with the wearer without perceiving them as robotic or detached. But it will be a start, and Apple will continuing iterating and improving the headset.
Read on AppleInsider
Render of Apple headset
Anticipated to make its debut at WWDC in June, the Apple VR and AR headset is poised to capture significant attention. While much speculation has revolved around its hardware capabilities, it appears that its array of features and functions could be equally extensive.
A new report from Bloomberg on Thursday shares details gleaned from conversations with pepole involved in the headset's development. According to the sources, Apple embarked on the project with a firm belief in the significance of mixed reality but had concerns about potential social isolation caused by such devices.
Initially, the company focused on developing lightweight augmented-reality glasses, but due to technological limitations, the objective gradually shifted towards a product resembling existing devices. This shift was also influenced by the desire to bring a product to market and internal disagreements about the project.
Apple aims for a future where customers can wear the device throughout the day, effectively replacing various daily activities typically carried out on an iPhone or a Mac. These tasks include gaming, web browsing, emailing, engaging in FaceTime video calls, collaborating within applications, exercising, and even practicing meditation.
The company acknowledges that the headset may not have an immediate transformative impact like the iPhone. However, internal projections suggest that with the addition of features and subsequent versions that offer reduced prices, the headset has the potential to reach a level of success similar to that of the iPad or the Apple Watch.
That could contribute over $25 billion annually to the company's revenue. Apple is aware that achieving this level of success will require time.
Initially, the company had hoped to sell around 3 million units per year, but those estimates have been revised to approximately 900,000 units. In comparison, Apple sells over 200 million iPhones annually.
Although the company once considered selling the headset at a loss to get it into the hands of as many people as possible, it may end up selling it at cost.
Tim Cook's vision
Since the beginning, Cook had wanted headset to be the "Apple Glasses," a lightweight, unobtrusive device for augmented reality. However, the company has had to change the design and make it more bulky due to technical limitations."Nobody in here -- few people in here -- think it's acceptable to be tethered to a computer walking in here and sitting down," he told a group of students at a 2016 technology conference in Utah. "Few people are going to view that it's acceptable to be enclosed in something, because we're all social people at heart."
According to individuals who have collaborated with him, Cook, despite having firm opinions, was not extensively involved in the detailed design of the headset. This approach contrasts notably with Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, who was known for his distinctive design sensibilities onto Apple products.
"The closest Cook gets to product development is a demo," says one of the people. "But even then, he's not the type of guy who says it should do X and not Y. He's the complete opposite of Steve in terms of having strong opinions on the minutiae."
But sources said that other prominent figures in Apple's upper management, including Craig Federighi, the senior vice president for software engineering, have also maintained a certain level of detachment and expressed caution regarding the headset. For example, Johny Srouji, Apple's senior vice president for hardware technologies, has privately expressed skepticism, compared the project to a science experiment.
According to people involved in the project, Apple is at least four years away froom releasing lightweight AR glasses, if it releases such a product at all. Engineers face technical challenges that involve shrinking components while maintaining processor power and reasonable battery capacity.
For now, rumors say the headset that Apple may announce in 2023 resembles a pair of ski goggles and requires a separate battery pack.
To maintain a connection with the real world, the headset includes an outward-facing display that showcases users' eye movements and facial expressions. Apple considers this feature crucial in distinguishing it from enclosed VR headsets.
According to a source familiar with the device, the external screens enable people to interact with the wearer without perceiving them as robotic or detached. But it will be a start, and Apple will continuing iterating and improving the headset.
Read on AppleInsider
Comments
In the article it said that the device would be good for making FaceTime calls. On the surface, that's impossible, since the device wouldn't have a camera pointing at your whole face, and even if you used an external camera, your eyes would probably be blocked by the device, making a FaceTime call useless. However I can see how Apple could use software to "remove" the Apple Glasses from your face. And I can also see how the device could have a flip-out arm (with a camera or a mirror) to take a video of your entire face, which could allow FaceTime calls to work (using software to skew your face into a normal view.)
But if this idea works, the first thing I'll do is buy stock in a company that makes contact lenses, as their sales could rocket overnight.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contact_lens#Manufacturing <--
1) a huge, multitouch screen (none of that stylus enabled pressure sensitive crap).
Agree with everything you wrote. The sad thing is that I can't think of the "technical hurdles" that supposedly is keeping Apple from bringing out AR glasses! Sure, if the approach is to have these AR glasses be a totally independent product from the iPhone, you basically have to shrink down an iPhone into the size of light-weight glasses and that's pretty impossible. But if the AR glasses are a companion product to iPhone, all those miniaturization and battery hurdles fall by the wayside - the glasses then simply need enough processing and battery power to drive the sensors/cameras that feed the iPhone (which is in your pocket anyway) what the user 'sees'. The iPhone then does the heavy lifting cpu-/memory-wise to create the augmentation that is then sent back to the glasses for display. Since the glasses just display stuff, collect sensor data, and transmit/receive wireless data from the iPhone, it should easily be possible to create lightweight glasses whose battery lasts all day.
A primitive version of this was developed over 10 years ago: Google Glass. Aside from 10 years worth of additional miniaturization, Apple AR glasses wouldn't have to repeat some of the mistakes Google Glass did - e.g. still trying to do too much on-board.
I currently own an Apple Watch Ultra - that's $800 for a companion product. I'd gladly pay $800 for Apple AR glasses that put little name bubbles above people's heads (I'm terrible with names), showed me the latest notifications from the phone, and navigated my walks through unknown city streets without me having to look down on my phone or watch. Everything else is gravy. But they have to appear to be regular, stylish glasses that have to be wearable all waking hours without leaving a permanent imprint on the bridge of your nose.
You can play ping pong with people all over the world.
You can play mini golf with family, both in the same room, or while you are in a different states.
And why isn't XR an extension of Apple's core competencies. They have the chip team, they've had much of the software in iOS for years.
Fitness is a compelling use case. I've used VR for fitness for 5 years and the entire time I wished Apple would do it right. Heart rate monitor and pulse ox data in the Apple Watch should be synced up with the workout.
If resolution is as good as rumored, and passthrough is as good as rumored, home IMAX quality movie theater is another potentially compelling case.
And AI is potentially a huge part of it too. I keep hearing rumors Apple is sitting on breakthrough AI.
We find out in a couple of weeks.