Apple Staff Reportedly Skeptical That a Mixed-Reality Headset Will Be a Hit
Apple employees are reportedly not excited for its upcoming augmented reality headset.
Current and former staff members, speaking to The New York Times(Opens in a new window), expressed "concerns about the device's roughly $3,000 price, doubts about its utility, and worries about its unproven market."
Despite numerous attempts—from Google Glass and Magic Leap to Microsoft's HoloLens and Meta Quest—society has yet to embrace virtual and augmented reality. It remains unclear whether Apple will mark a turning point in what was once considered the technology of the future.
The company, which reportedly demoed its headset to Apple's top 100 executives last week, is scheduled to publicly unveil the mixed-reality gadget in June, with rumors of a September launch alongside the iPhone 15.
Even administrators are tempering their expectations, though, according to Bloomberg(Opens in a new window), which suggested the as-yet-unnamed headset "could follow a similar trajectory as the Apple Watch."
In other words, it may get off to a slow start, with limited content and "undefined purpose," Bloomberg says. But once it finds its niche—as the smartwatch did as a health companion and wearable notification center—the ski-goggle-esque device could become as ubiquitous as, well, an Apple product.
The xrOS platform (renamed in December to reflect its extended, augmented, and virtual reality features) will reportedly power Apple's headset, which features a Mac-level M2 chip, a second chip for graphics and sensor-tracking, and more than 10 cameras in and around the device. Previous reports also tipped iris scanning for payments and sign-ins, as well as virtual versions of Messages, FaceTime, and Maps; a software development kit, meanwhile, will
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