miiwtwo

What Apple employees are telling me about Apple Vision Pro returns

pjvalencia said:

Blah blah blah. What can you actually do with them that makes them worthy of their price?

tundraboy said:

twolf2919 said:

... I think Apple jumped the shark with this AR "wannabe" VR headset.  I'm not sure why developers - especially small ones - would write software, i.e. potential killer apps, for it when Apple has given no timeline for a device (the vaunted AR glasses) that will have mass market appeal and thus provide a return on their investment.

In 25 plus years of following Apple closely in the pundit space, I think they have "jumped the shark" at least 4 times.  The Pod, the Phone, the Pad, the Watch, and yet here they are still.  Unexplainedly alive and keeping and the most successful tech company in the universe.  Here comes Vision Pro now and darn it, they're water skiing over it again.

The Vision Pro isn't for everyone.  It is a niche product, Apple knows it's a niche product.  But they need to release one to start exploring the headset product space and what it needs to offer if it is to be successful.  For sure they know it needs to be lighter and less bulky.  Few people enjoy having a barnacle stuck on their face.  Obviously the tech isn't there yet but offering a timeline on that is a fool's game for two reasons: First, technological advancements are not that easy to predict --fusion power has been 'just around the corner' for at least 30 years now.  Second, and this problem weighs more on Apple's decision making, even if they have a firm grasp on when the lightweight headset will be realized, announcing a timeline amounts to  telling your potential customers "Don't buy this one, wait a couple of years."  How stupid is that?  

There is no guarantee that Apple will get Vision Pro right but it wasn't until around iPod 4 when sales started to reach mass market levels, likewise around iPhone 4 or 5 for iPhone.  It will take a few more years for Vision Pro to catch on, if it ever catches on.  But if I'm laying a wager on who is going to succeed in making a headset computer a mass market product, I'd say the best bet would be Apple.