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Apple headset leak reveals new details and confirms earlier rumors
- bluedevil2k 4y agoWho’s the target audience for this? Businesses only? I don’t see consumers plopping down $3k for this in the mass numbers that would matter to Apple’s bottom line.
- jws 4y agoThe initial target is developers who think they can build successful AR software for when the price comes down. You will not have significant numbers of users without compelling applications. $3k is a pittance in the scheme of creating a ground breaking application in an unexplored space. $3k keeps the limited units out of drawers and in the hands of people that will be making something with them. This device has a lot of cameras and scanners in it. After they work out what is actually required and used the consumer model may have fewer to control cost. Apple will deliver an app or two to set the user experience quality bar, it sounds like VR conferencing is one of those, but that doesn't mean they think that is what the device is for. It is just that they need to give an example of what the user experience should be or you will have developers delivering poorly performing, battery eating, usability disasters and customers will think that is inherent to the device.
- lofaszvanitt 4y agoMaybe for work, but everyday life, I don't see the benefits. At the moment all of this seems redundant, just like a smartwatch when you also have a smartphone.
- xrayarx 4y agoI agree, can’t see this either, but all major tech companies and quite a few smaller companies are working on this. And they all did their research so these things are coming.
- orthoxerox 4y agoI think this is going to be a benchmark device first and foremost, designed to make every other XR device on the market look inadequate. Meta, Valve and the rest will be forced to spec up to match Apple, this will drive the costs down as suppliers start to manufacture better displays, lenses, batteries and XR chipsets in large quantities. Apple Headset 2 will then cost $1.5k.
- mindover 4y agoAs I said in other comments, don't underestimate video calls in AR. This could be an instant killer app that will change the industry. How many people can afford at least 2 AR headsets? Not many, but also not too few. Engineers who flock to the Bay Area and leave their parents/families in other countries can afford that, and will - if AR calls will offer an immersive experience.
- jitl 4y agoI can’t imagine anyone buying a $3000 headset for “videoconferencing” as the killer feature. Would Apple build a VR headset & new operating system just to position it similarly to the Pro Display XDR? Because that’s what these rumors sound like - a super high end hardware for a very narrow professional market. I think the rumors must be getting at least one or two key elements very wrong because the overall picture doesn’t make much sense. Perhaps the rumors conflate an Apple VR Headset - Mass Market ($5XX) with an Apple VR Headset - Developer Kit ($3000)? On the subject of the belt battery pack, The Information reported that earlier prototypes used a power-tool LiIon battery at the waist; maybe this is incorrect holdover and we don’t see a production device that works that way?
- jaywalk 4y agoPlus who knows how much for the custom lenses needed if you wear glasses.
- bbbbb5 4y agoWould that necessarily cost way more than the custom lenses needed for glasses?
- smoldesu 4y agoTraditionally* VR lens fittings have been relatively affordable (Quest had them for <$100). That being said, this is Apple we're talking about here... are we perhaps getting a 'Lens Pro Max ME (Medical Edition)'?
- threeseed 4y agoIt's likely you will choose the lenses up front. Similar to how when you buy an Apple Watch you choose the strap size.
- jaywalk 4y agoYou can't just "choose" prescription lenses. You need a valid prescription.
- nerdjon 4y agoI continue to think that if anyone could actually pull off mainstream AR it would be Apple... I am just not convinced the tech is ready for it to be mainstream. I feel like for it to be mainstream it needs to be borderline invisible (or just looking like normal glasses). Bonus if it can just be contacts (yes I know science fiction here). Part of the reason I think Apple is in a place to possibly actually make it a thing though, is their track record of taking an existing category and fixing usability issues. See Tablets, Smart Watches... and of course Smart Phones. They have also been building their AR platform for years and been getting developers to use it. If they are smart with how they have done that, the work for those apps should "easily" translate to this device. That being said cost is going to be a major issue here, as well as size like I already mentioned. But unlike a certain company... Apple is not known for abandoning projects and I would hope that they are smart enough to realize that this is not a device that will make a profit in the short term
- ghaff 4y agoA lot has to happen for mainstream AR to be viable. But it's an example of a technology that, if it could surpass a lot of very significant technology hurdles, would be very interesting to a lot of people and probably scary to others. And a bit of both to most.
- ericmay 4y agoOne use case that comes to mind is virtual tours in museums and such. I remember going to the Louvre in 2015 and you could rent a Nintendo DS with audio and location tracking and then as you approached a work it would point out various details. These glasses don't just have to be consumer focused, though. I imagine if you wanted to repair your TV or install a new whatever to your car, or clean your gutters glasses like this could help or provide interesting features. Imagine if you work at a car dealership and you wear these to repair an in-warranty car. You don't know where the parts are, you look around, the glasses identify the parts and steps 1...n to locate the parts and then where to place them around the car in the optimal positions. Or inventory tracking... I know there are a lot of potential anti-patterns here as well, but we could see some really cool features come out of these or similar devices.
- rowanG077 4y agoIf asahi linux can run on this it's an instant buy for me.
- kybernetyk 4y agoReally eager to see whether Apple can turn AR/VR into a mainstream product. My guess is no but then again it's Apple.
- abakker 4y agoso...if this has a computer in it, and can be a productivity device the way an iPad could be....maybe. It would give more screen real estate, less desk, maybe the same apps. I can just about see how someone might expense it if they had to work on private content in public environments a lot... $3k is really just too much for a fancy monitor for productivity apps, though. I'm bought into the concept, but not the price.
- nlitened 4y agoIf those VR glasses emulate high resolution virtual three-monitor setup which you can take everywhere with you, count me fucking in!
- abakker 4y agoAs with apples laptops, resolution could be the killer app.
- mindover 4y agoFor people who can afford it, being able to communicate remotely with an added dimension is going to be priceless. To be able to see your parent or child in AR from anywhere in the world is worth way more than $3k. This is IMO absolutely the right bet from Apple. It's table stakes for AR and the most relatable easily understood killer app.
- marvin_3050 4y agoWhy is anyone still pouring money into this again?
- dewey 4y agoBecause with every year the technology behind it becomes more viable for main stream usage (smaller, cheaper,…).
- marvin_3050 4y agoEven if Apple succeeded to make a 1 dollar, 1 gram, 1000 DPI VR headset, what would be the point of it?
- nickthegreek 4y agoWho would want to watch HD movies at theater size from the comfort of their home for $1?
- marvin_3050 4y agoI'd think a silent disco would be a good parallel, and those haven't caught on either...
- sebzim4500 4y agoI don't get what analogy you are making here. What are silent discos supposed to be a parallel to exactly?
- marvin_3050 4y agoI'm questioning wether the experience of going to a movie theater is really comparable to slapping on a headset. After all, it's all about immersion. If you just cared about image size, you could also watch a movie on your smartphone and hold it close to your face, which doesn't feel the same as watching a movie on a big screen either. Hence the analogy to a silent disco - sure, the music is just as loud, but the experience is completely different.
- MR4D 4y agoIf the reported price ($3,000) is anywhere near accurate, then Apple really risks falling into the HomePod trap - the original was great, but costed more than mass-market wanted, which opened up a huge hole for Amazon's Alexa speakers to come in and dominate. Then, when Apple came out with a cheaper device (HomePod mini), the market had largely moved passed it. To be clear, this is not my judgement of quality at all - only a market assessment based on pricing.
- dljsjr 4y agoAlexa also had a 4-year head start on the HomePod. I don't know if that's the most apt comparison. Additionally, while it is an absurd price tag, the rumors are also that this is being aimed at Apple's famed "Creative Pro" segment and not gamers/casual VR users.
- MR4D 4y agoWell, Meta (Occulus) has also had a head start. I find the analogy very fitting because of that.
- dilyevsky 4y agoOriginal homepod was pretty rad. I got one for free and it was the best speaker I ever owned minus siri which I didn’t really care for. The tech they put it with room sensing really made a difference I thought
- MR4D 4y agoI've heard great things about them, but never heard one in an actual home (only those fake settings in stores). As a (former?) hi-fi guy, I would have bought one if it had come with a detachable cable. I'm still holding out hope for a new one of some sort.
- alanwreath 4y agoI think you mean, Google Mini's dominating -- Alexa speakers were the OG and they've just been slowly floundering in existence since who knows when. Totally agree with the rest though.
- newaccount2021 4y ago[dead]
- imranq 4y agoUnrelated but interesting how they used Dall-E and Midjourney for the article cover art
- mindover 4y agoWonder if they rendered it primarily in Midjourney with some minor in-painting done by DALL-E.
- yodon 4y ago> Apple bets on XR video calls as ‘killer app’ I certainly have complaints about video conferencing but there's no issue with current gen video calls that requires a $3000 face mask with a tiny battery life as a valid "solution".
- junofan 4y agoI hate Zoom calls enough to pay $3000 for something much better.
- f6v 4y agoAt the same time Zoom issues probably have very little to do with the hardware.
- mindover 4y agoWe might just not know what we are missing. I used to think that video calls is a solved problem until I saw Google's Project Starline [0]. Video calls in AR could be vastly better, not just a little bit, but basically a completely different experience/relationship. [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q13CishCKXY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q13CishCKXY
- malshe 4y agoThis is insane! Looks amazing
- sebzim4500 4y agoThat clearly isn't true because companies will routinely spend thousands of dollars flying employees across the world to talk to each other in person. If (and I accept this is a big if) these headsets can reproduce the experience of meeting someone face to face then $3k is great value for money.
- sourcecodeplz 4y agoWhen I read "killer video calls", I can't stop but think about: long distance relationships, sex calls, etc...
- f6v 4y ago> sex calls That filthy sex suite from Amazon’s “Upload”.
- mindover 4y agoI also find it interesting how many people (even here in comments) underestimate the potential impact of AR video call tech. It could be as revolutionary, if not more, as Skype, FB, even Street View, etc in terms of connecting people in new ways.
- kritiko 4y agoDoes anybody have full text of the Information article that is the source for this?
- haunter 4y ago>XR video calls as ‘killer app’ Getting closer to THX 1138's personal pleasure device https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rn-Sa0MlFkg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rn-Sa0MlFkg
- eddd 4y agoIf true, it looks like the most un-apple product since iphone. It is probably years until they officially showcase this product. The potential backlash from the market is enormous.
- dougmwne 4y agoI am short term skeptical, but long term VR/AR are going to absolutely dominate computing. The moment you can teleport across the country with a photorealistic "retina resolution" avatar is the moment this product category is going to shoot off to the billion user level. Apple is right to focus on collumications, but I doubt we are on the right side of the uncanny valley yet.
- PostOnce 4y agoJust think -- you can teleport into an Excel spreadsheet and walk across the columns, just like in real life! You could open your email from realistically ray-traced paper envelopes. You can check the weather by standing out in a virtual field and looking up. You can listen to your podcasts by loading a VR cassette tape into a VR tape deck. You can watch a powerpoint presentation by looking at a VR guy standing at a VR easel. ...so much of what we do on computers has nothing to do with 3D. For most people, it'd be a huge waste of a month's income to do everything they already do, but slower and with a weird interface. There's a market, I'm sure, but not as large a percentage of total computing as many people seem to imagine.
- dougmwne 4y agoYou are missing the forest for the trees. Ask yourself, why do we spend so much time looking at 6 inch rectangles? In its final form, this will be a perfect 2D and 3D display of any size accessible using any form of input attached shortly afer birth to our optic nerves or perhaps written into our genetic codes. If you want to touch glass, you can carry around an inert piece of glass in your pocket that will be functionally identically to a phone. This is the platform of the next 1000 years, but I'm not sure if we will see it in the next 100.
- PostOnce 4y agoNo-one wants to forsake the world we live in to go and get imprisoned on a corporate dystopia infested with ads and questionable "work" at the cost of our peripheral senses and our peace of mind. If, like you say, we will attach computers to optic nerves -- then wars will be fought over it first. edit: besides the detriment, the added-value is still very questionable right now.
- Apocryphon 4y agoFinally! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2YhXQaNiY4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2YhXQaNiY4 https://www.cnn.com/2000/TECH/computing/06/30/wearable.pc.idg/ https://www.cnn.com/2000/TECH/computing/06/30/wearable.pc.id...
- rcarr 4y agoI'm not expecting much from the 1st gen. The 1st gen Apple Watch was very slow and pretty useless as a result. The 1st gen iPhone was also missing a few features that were pretty common place on other phones of the time like picture messaging. 1st gen Apple TV was pretty basic as well if I remember right. Gen 3 will probably be where it starts picking up pace and the ecosystem starts building up around it.
- mindover 4y agoAgreed. Apple is one of the best companies (if not _the_ best) to be able to afford several iterations before reaching a wide adoption.
- akmarinov 4y agoA cord to a separate battery? No focus on games? Zoom calls as the killer app? You’re not getting my $3000
- mensetmanusman 4y agoSide point: cool to see DALLE images replacing stock photos…
- vestrigi 4y agoI'm very curious about the optical hand tracking as the main input. Yes, there's still a lot of progress in that area recently but the main problem remains: it gets really tiring to waive your hands around in front of you and there is no haptic feedback and very quick pressing of different buttons like on a controller.
- Geee 4y agoIt's an excellent choice for default controllers. Your hands are free to use keyboard and mouse, and your hands are also free for AR interactions in the real world. If you need a controller (for games etc.), then there's always the possibility of using a 3rd party one.
- skc 4y agoWaist mounted battery huh. Will be interesting to see if they can pull this off because the visual in my head looks ridiculous.
- kirubakaran 4y agoiFanny
- cjoelrun 4y agoTake my money? I just want a mobile desktop environment that I can set up anywhere. I have strange places I need to do work and the hunched over laptop situation is killing me.
- tablespoon 4y ago> Image: Midjourney / DALL-E 2 prompted by MIXED Oh, good grief. I'd rather have a generic logo or headquarters as the article image than some misleading computer-generated fantasy of a new product.
- discodave 4y agoFor those baulking at the cost: Various estimates size the corporate travel market at hundreds of billions of dollars per year. $3000 isn't that expensive compared to a business class plane ticket, and hotel. Apple has a history of convincing people to pay lots of money for things (the $1000 iPhone wasn't that long ago!)
- sys_64738 4y agoHmmmm. https://v.fandom.com/wiki/John https://v.fandom.com/wiki/John
- diegof79 4y agoOff-topic: The article uses an image generated with DALL-E (Image credits: "Midjourney / DALL-E 2 prompted by MIXED"). I'm not surprised. However, it's the first time that I see that in an article that is not about DALLE-E or Stable Diffusion, a sign of how these models are changing web publishing (and stock photos/digital illustration work).
- fnands 4y agoYeah, I think there's a lot of hype around generative models, but in my mind only a few use cases that will really stick. Stock photos/illustrations is imho the most likely industry that these models will change.
- yunwal 4y agoOnce inpainting is sufficiently good they'll be ubiquitous in concept art as well.
- monkeywork 4y agoThe AR application I want is what I had always hoped to get google glass for ages ago and that is face recognition. I'm terrible at remembering names, it would be wonderful if the glasses I'm wearing when I look at someone would pop their name (and any other note I've created on them) off to the side of my view for quick reference. That done with a really clean interface would be worth it to me alone with almost no other functionality.