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>It’s also not totally clear why we need an Apple headset right now. It's worth noting that in 2008 it wasn't clear why we needed an Apple smartphone. Web-brow

>It’s also not totally clear why we need an Apple headset right now. It's worth noting that in 2008 it wasn't clear why we needed an Apple smartphone. Web-browsing smartphones were a niche market, and wireless bandwidth limitations made browsing painfully slow (and media streaming virtually impossible). For messaging, the Blackberry had an overwhelming market share. And the iPhone was crazy expensive. How could it possibly succeed?

Q6T46nT668w6i3m 4y ago
You’re misremembering? Everyone wanted a web-browsing smartphone that didn’t skimp on performance. There was insane demand and Apple delivered.
- amluto 4y ago
  I don’t recall everyone wanting this, although a decent number certainly did. But Apple most certainly did skimp on performance. The cell modem in the original iPhone was vastly inferior to its competitors. (The latest Blackberry had many flaws, but its ability to connect to the network under less than ideal conditions was far, far beyond the iPhone.) The iPhone had an excellent web browser, a novel form factor, and fun first-party apps. And, notably, no one else had a web browser that was even decent.
  - KerrAvon 4y ago
    Depends on the value of "everyone." http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/27/technology/circuits/27pogue.html http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/27/technology/circuits/27pogu...
- vannevar 4y ago
  I did misremember the popularity of Nokia smartphones, which were more popular than I recall (looked it up here: https://www.statista.com/statistics/271539/worldwide-shipments-of-leading-smartphone-vendors-since-2007/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/271539/worldwide-shipmen...). But they were, spec-wise, more powerful than the original iPhone (which also didn't support 3G). Also, the year was 2007 rather than 2008. 2008 was when the App Store launched. For all we know, there may also be insane demand for good VR once people see what good VR looks like.
  - biomcgary 4y ago
    Good VR that is also trivial to set up and killer apps/games that don't require too much dedicated space. My brother-in-law has a very nice VR setup, which is fun, but has a room that is essentially empty. If I had a nice room with padded walls. . .
- junofan 4y ago
  I dunno, Cingular was charging $15 for 5 megabytes of data in 2006. I remember nobody wanting web stuff on their phones because it was expensive. Apple had to cut a deal with Cingular for unlimited data to sell iPhones.
AndrewStephens 4y ago
> And the iPhone was crazy expensive. People keep saying this but it just isn't true. Well it was crazy expensive, but when the iPhone was released it was actually slightly cheaper than what passed for a smart phone back then.
- vannevar 4y ago
  Fair. Crazy expensive may be an overstatement. There were more expensive phones, but it was more expensive than the typical smart phone (eg, Blackberry Pearl was around $200, iPhone was $395). But it was definitely on the high end.
jonplackett 4y ago
The reason the iPhone went so big is it was an awesome product that replaced a substandard product THAT EVERYONE WAS STILL BUYING - for loads of money. Even a crappy Siemens phone was costing the network several hundred £/€/$. I am personally very excited for an apple VR headset. But it is a tougher sell because it demands a whole new few thousand quid to be found that I was currently not spending. It doesn’t replace anything.

Q6T46nT668w6i3m 4y ago

You’re misremembering? Everyone wanted a web-browsing smartphone that didn’t skimp on performance. There was insane demand and Apple delivered.

amluto 4y ago
I don’t recall everyone wanting this, although a decent number certainly did. But Apple most certainly did skimp on performance. The cell modem in the original iPhone was vastly inferior to its competitors. (The latest Blackberry had many flaws, but its ability to connect to the network under less than ideal conditions was far, far beyond the iPhone.) The iPhone had an excellent web browser, a novel form factor, and fun first-party apps. And, notably, no one else had a web browser that was even decent.
- KerrAvon 4y ago
  Depends on the value of "everyone." http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/27/technology/circuits/27pogue.html http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/27/technology/circuits/27pogu...
vannevar 4y ago
I did misremember the popularity of Nokia smartphones, which were more popular than I recall (looked it up here: https://www.statista.com/statistics/271539/worldwide-shipments-of-leading-smartphone-vendors-since-2007/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/271539/worldwide-shipmen...). But they were, spec-wise, more powerful than the original iPhone (which also didn't support 3G). Also, the year was 2007 rather than 2008. 2008 was when the App Store launched. For all we know, there may also be insane demand for good VR once people see what good VR looks like.
- biomcgary 4y ago
  Good VR that is also trivial to set up and killer apps/games that don't require too much dedicated space. My brother-in-law has a very nice VR setup, which is fun, but has a room that is essentially empty. If I had a nice room with padded walls. . .
junofan 4y ago
I dunno, Cingular was charging $15 for 5 megabytes of data in 2006. I remember nobody wanting web stuff on their phones because it was expensive. Apple had to cut a deal with Cingular for unlimited data to sell iPhones.

AndrewStephens 4y ago

> And the iPhone was crazy expensive. People keep saying this but it just isn't true. Well it was crazy expensive, but when the iPhone was released it was actually slightly cheaper than what passed for a smart phone back then.

vannevar 4y ago
Fair. Crazy expensive may be an overstatement. There were more expensive phones, but it was more expensive than the typical smart phone (eg, Blackberry Pearl was around $200, iPhone was $395). But it was definitely on the high end.

jonplackett 4y ago

The reason the iPhone went so big is it was an awesome product that replaced a substandard product THAT EVERYONE WAS STILL BUYING - for loads of money. Even a crappy Siemens phone was costing the network several hundred £/€/$. I am personally very excited for an apple VR headset. But it is a tougher sell because it demands a whole new few thousand quid to be found that I was currently not spending. It doesn’t replace anything.