Apple’s mixed reality device, the long-awaited to revitalize a type of VR/AR technology that -to be frank- has so far been little less than a fiasco for the enormous expectations it had generated, is late again and there are well-founded doubts that it can be presented at the WWDC conference in June as planned.
Nothing new under the sun because the device It has been in development since at least 2015. and Apple has not yet found the opportunity for its launch. And it will not be for lack of means. Apple has acquired in recent years several companies specializing in AR hardware, 3D games and virtual reality software, highlighting the purchase of PrimeSense that developed the sensor technology for Microsoft Kinect and more recently startups dedicated to AR such as Metaio and Flyby Media.
The same CEO of Apple, Tim Cook, expressed his “excitement” for this type of product and dared -nothing less- than to equate a supposed launch with the arrival of the first iPhone. The fiasco of Google Glass, Microsoft Hololens and the very weak sales of the few manufacturers that have entered this segment (Oculus and HTC) have brought Apple down from the cloud to the sad reality: there is no consumer interest in this type of products and only Sony, pulling the popularity of the PS4, has managed to sell reasonable numbers of its PSVR.
Apple’s mixed reality device, delays and problems
The latest is told by Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst specializing in Apple and usually a reliable source. According to Kuo, Apple has once again delayed the mass production of its device and mistrust has spread in Cupertino. In addition, the sales forecasts are not optimistic and from half a million units it has dropped to 200-300,000.
There are voices among executives that are not sure about the usefulness of the device and engineers are not happy with their software and hardware either. The availability of a suitable ecosystem, with the new xrOS operating system and the necessary applications is posing a real puzzle.
There is also no satisfaction with the hardwareespecially due to the high weight of the device as it requires an external battery and a ski goggle design with a carbon fiber frame that will make it impossible to use it with prescription glasses.
And its price… The advanced 4K micro-LED screens that it is said to mount have raised costs a lot. There is talk of a price between 3,000 and 4,000 dollars which will leave it completely out of the consumer market and it is necessary to see its usefulness for the business market where it seems that it is going to be directed.
For all the above, the big question arises: Will it be Apple’s first major “disaster” of the last two decades? The guys from Cupertino have gotten used to turning everything they develop into gold and have revolutionized the industry with devices like the iPhone, iPad or the Watch. But there are no guarantees here, and duds (which Apple has also had) come to mind, such as the Mac G4 Cube, the QuickTake 200 camera, the hockey puck-shaped USB mouse, the Macintosh TAM, or the Apple Newton.
It is true that if there is currently a company capable of revitalizing a technology, it is Apple. We will see
