Apple Risks Reputation With New Mixed-Reality Headset:
Apple’s next big risk is mixed-reality headsets. The gadget, scheduled to be introduced this year, and an increase of Apple retail stores in Asia are also seen. Apple Inc.’s top managers in charge of introducing the company’s current mixed-reality headset believe the product category may someday displace the iPhone as the firm’s flagship product.
High-Risk Business Bet:
In hopes of disrupting Meta Platforms Inc.’s virtual reality industry, Reality Pro, a $3,000 piece of gear, will be delivered later this year. Apple is approaching its first major new product category since releasing a timepiece in 2015, thus it must wow consumers to thrive.
Will It Maintain Headset Popularity?
That’s harder to say. Despite my belief that the push towards virtual and augmented reality will lead to the iPhone’s replacement, this first headgear might become a fiasco.
Apple’s Project Is Over 7 Years Old:
Apple’s product costs more than its rivals’. Apple’s Technological Development Group, with over 1,000 personnel, has been engaged in the project for over seven years, hoping it would become a new revenue stream, especially because sales growth is expected to stagnate this year.
Extraordinary Product:
Apple will introduce its first mixed-reality device, the Reality Pro, this year. 2 4K displays as well as a flexible OLED screen on the front that shows the user’s eyes will be among the device’s many cutting-edge features. And over a dozen cameras will examine the wearer’s body, eye movements, and surroundings.
Virtual reality has plagued the biggest IT corporations. Headsets are currently specialized items, and Meta has lost billions of dollars despite projections that the industry would be worth over $100 billion by both the end of this decade.
Apple’s New Product:
Apple wants to innovate. According to insiders familiar with the project, the gadget’s eye- and arm-tracking capabilities will be a major selling point. It is expected to cost twice as much as competing gadgets. Its main features are Face Time-based videoconferencing and meeting rooms.
Runtime?
It will be a groundbreaking masterpiece. However, most consumers will find it impracticable and expensive. This is because each charge will last only around two hours, it will not work well outdoors, it will launch with a small choice of content, and it will have a unpleasant design.
Apple’s Next Product Will Employ Virtual And Augmented Reality:
The user just has to squeeze their thumb and index fingers to initiate the action. Most headsets utilize a hand controller instead. Like Meta’s latest headgear, Apple’s next product will employ virtual and augmented reality. Virtual reality goggles display graphics. AR overlays digital material over real-world perspectives.
High-Resolution Monitors Will Manage The Headset’s Virtual Reality:
Two Sony Group Corporation-developed high-resolution monitors will manage the headset’s virtual reality. The headgear will also include external cameras for augmented “pass-through mode.” The headgear cameras will show users the actual environment. Apple will sell customized enclosure-integrated lenses to prescription glasses wearers.
Apple sold 1 million iPhone in the first few months and one million iPad in 28 days. It was just the start. Apple sold 15 million iPad in the first eight months and 10 million iPhone in its second year. The Apple Watch had few uses when it was debuted in 2015, but fitness, health, and alarms rapidly became popular. Despite poor processors and limited app choices, the Apple Watch was worn on over 10 million wrists in its first year.
New Headset’s Story Would Take a Surprising Turn:
Despite Apple’s objectives, the new headset’s story would take a surprising turn. It expects to produce roughly one million units in its first year. This suggests that Apple’s lowest-volume category will debut the device.
The headset’s Face Time software realistically simulates a user’s face and body in VR. These avatars will allow two Apple headset-wearers to speak as if they were in the same room. Meta’s headgear creates a more cartoonish avatar than virtual conference rooms.
Like its prior big bets, the company plans a slow start. It plans to start manufacturing the device in China in February and is considering releasing it just in the US. Apple is working on a cheaper version that will be available in later 2024 or soon 2025 & cost about $1,500. Meta charges for its mixed-reality headgear.
A preview of Apple’s first mixed-reality headset:
This week, I reviewed the headset’s hardware, software, video conferencing, content partnerships, battery system, Mac connection, onboard capabilities, and user interface. Anyone curious in the new device should read the story and let me know what they think.
Apple plans to open stores in India and Malaysia:
Asia-wide expansion. Covid’s retail network expanded slowly, but it’s picking up again. Apple may expand in Asia’s India or Malaysia. I believe India will come first, but Apple views Malaysia as a new market. The retail segment has hired new workers in both countries.
Apple expects to sell one million headsets during the first year.
Apple’s most lucrative product, the Cupertino-made iPhone, has sold over 200 million units. The corporation’s long-term view of the platform is also shown by its decision not to earn a profit on the first edition despite its high cost. Company policy is unusual.
The new gizmo will make films more immersive. Apple has discussed VR content with a dozen media partners, including Walt Disney Company and Dolby Laboratories Inc. The tech company is also working on a headgear update to make Apple TV+ content compatible. Apple bought NextVR in 2020 to create VR sports content.
Apple will include many of the same features as an iPad or iPhone but work in 3D:
The headgear’s internal operating system, xrOS, will include many of the same features as an iPad or iPhone but work in 3D. Photos, Mail, Messages, and Calendar are here. Safari’s included. The App Store, Apple TV+, music, and podcasts will also have apps. The company also offers health monitoring services.
Apple customers should feel comfortable. The headset’s main interface will resemble the iPad and iPhone. A grid of icons may be adjusted on its home screen. The current temperature, forthcoming calendar appointments, email, and stock market performance may be “pinned” to programme icons.
Siri or the iPhone, Mac, and any iPad keyboard may be used to type text. Unlike an Apple Watch, this gadget does not need an iPhone. The company is developing technology to enable users to type with their hands in the air, but it’s unlikely to be ready for the product’s launch.
Apple’s VR gaming engine is likely to prove popular with third-party developers. In 2017, the company released ARKit and other tools to help iPhone developers create augmented reality experiences. Software developers might make headgear-compatible apps, games, and services.
Apple’s latest Macs include an M2 processor, and the device will have a graphics and mixed-reality CPU. The tech giant trademarked the Reality Processor for its second chip.