As Apple’s WWDC 2023 approaches, rumors, leaks, and predictions grow exponentially that the leading role of the event will fall mainly on the expected presentation of the augmented reality viewer of those of Cupertino. And it is not for less, because the truth is that we have been hearing about the company’s plans to make the leap to virtual reality and augmented reality for a few years now.
In addition, in recent weeks information has become popular indicating that this is an especially personal project for Tim CookCEO of the company, who sees in this device the opportunity to leave a legacy in the brand, in addition to surprising again with the presentation of a totally new device, something that has not happened since the company presented the Apple Watch in September 2014, almost nine years ago, and its distribution began a few months later, in April 2015 (although in Spain it was delayed until June of the same year).
This theory makes a lot of sense for the two points mentioned. Although Cook was already the CEO of Apple when the company’s smartwatch was introduced, this was a project that had been started several years before, so it somehow had Steve Jobs’s signature on it, which is very honorable for the device, but would not allow Cook to put it on his own scoreboard. It must be difficult, very difficult, to be the person who replaces Jobs, and the pressure must push to try to leave a mark that, although it is not as big as that of the founder, is reasonably indelible or, at least, lasting.
Now, as the long-awaited announcement approaches, some voices (for now anonymous) emerge within the company that do not quite see it clearly. As we can read in The New York Times, eight executives and employees (some still active in the company) have produced several abandonments in the team dedicated to the augmented reality viewer project. Some people have been laid off, but others have chosen to leave voluntarily. for harboring serious doubts about its real potential.
Other company executives are banking on interest in the mixed reality headset growing as more versions of it come out, putting much of their faith in a future “cheap” model. Let’s remember that the starting price of Apple’s headset is expected to be around $3,000while the economic version, which the company would already be working on, aims to have a price of around $1,500, although it would not hit the market until two years after the debut of the first model.
Virtual reality, and also augmented reality, are two markets that, despite multiple attempts, have never really taken off. It is true that its adoption grows, but it does so little by little, and only in ecosystems in which the software offer compensates the acquisition cost of the viewers. And in some cases not even like that, and as a close example we can look at the price reduction of the Meta Quest Pro. Apple has its brand image, which works in its favor, but the big question is whether this will be enough.
