[Technology] Right then Space Cadets Who is Saving up for An Apple VR Headset?

[JetsetJimbo]

I'm pretty curious as to what their plans are for this. I don't see how VR is ever going to be the mass-market consumer device some people think it'll be, despite being a former owner of Sony's original PSVR and a current owner of their PSVR2. It works for me, but I live alone and am very into video games - I can't imagine me using it much if I had to share my space with other people.

Apple has famously little interest in video games, save for taking its percentage from App Store games sales. So the fact they're launching VR hardware suggests they think they've found a mass-market use case that isn't games. I have no idea what that might be and I can't wait to find out.

 

[The Lemming Stomper]

I had an Oculus and after the first time I got shocking motion sickness...lasted about a fortnight and I was crapping myself after hearing stories of people coming off cruises and getting permanent sea sickness !

Flogged it and bought a retro Asteroids cabinet which was the best move ever

 

[schmunk]

Flogged it and bought a retro Asteroids cabinet which was the best move ever

Bit heavy to wear for long periods though, no?

 

[virtual22]

$3,500! Not a chance! I dont see how this works. It's too expensive for the consumer market, and are businesses really going to invest heavily for it to be a success there? I just cannot imagine walking into an office/work place and seeing 30 people there all with their headsets on. I know MS, Sony etc took years to make a profit off their console hardware but getting it in peoples houses was their key objective. Feel apple, even with the usual apple tax have misjudged the room on this one.

 

[Wozza]

$3,500! Not a chance! I dont see how this works. It's too expensive for the consumer market

Hardcore Apple fans aren't consumers. They're disciples (loons).

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

I have a life.

 

[StonehamPark]

Hard sell when the Quest 3 will be the better, slimmer, lighter and cheaper - not to mention ease of use with Steam VR and it’s own store/library.

The target market for this must be the startup fin-tech-owner type who must be Apple-everything and will use it for a few days before never picking it up again.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Hardcore Apple fans aren't consumers. They're disciples (loons).

Hardcore Apple? Now there's a part of a fruit to conjour with

 

[Acker79]

This isn't what I think of when I think of VR headset. This seems more like what Google glass was going for.

 

[jcdenton08]

£3.5k for that is mental. I think I could be a millionaire and not want to sit around all day at home wearing a pair of ski goggles. 2 hour battery life? Nah.

I mean, I was never gonna buy this anyway but that video has left me very unconvinced by the concept - and that’s all it is right now, a first generation proof of concept ala Google Glass, which of course went nowhere.

 

[TWOCHOICEStom]

£3.5k for that is mental. I think I could be a millionaire and not want to sit around all day at home wearing a pair of ski goggles. 2 hour battery life? Nah.

I mean, I was never gonna buy this anyway but that video has left me very unconvinced by the concept - and that’s all it is right now, a first generation proof of concept ala Google Glass, which of course went nowhere.

Think of the iPad but an even bigger "why do I need this?" gap to bridge.

This is Apple playing the long game.

IMO this will be in glasses in 5-10 generations, contacts in 20 and completely normal after that.

 

[virtual22]

Think of the iPad but an even bigger "why do I need this?" gap to bridge.

This is Apple playing the long game.

IMO this will be in glasses in 5-10 generations, contacts in 20 and completely normal after that.

Or could just be another home pod which no one bought as google and amazon did it way cheaper and not that much difference between them. I get this is leading tech at the moment but by the time it comes out others will already be hot on their heals at half the price.

Also wouldn't mind betting that the strap it comes with will be a basic one, want it to fit you - that's £150 for a premium one, that battery pack, £150, those lenses they showed so you can see it if you're wearing glasses, that'll be another £500 I'm sure.

They need take up to get it going and get it supported by the software developers, they're not going to spend money on it if no one is using it.

 

[TWOCHOICEStom]

Or could just be another home pod which no one bought as google and amazon did it way cheaper and not that much difference between them. I get this is leading tech at the moment but by the time it comes out others will already be hot on their heals at half the price.

Also wouldn't mind betting that the strap it comes with will be a basic one, want it to fit you - that's £150 for a premium one, that battery pack, £150, those lenses they showed so you can see it if you're wearing glasses, that'll be another £500 I'm sure.

They need take up to get it going and get it supported by the software developers, they're not going to spend money on it if no one is using it.

This is a completely different kettle of fish. Google and Amazon have better voice assistants and PLENTY of content to offer.

This is an extension of a totally dominant ecosystem in mac, iPhone and IPadOS.

The question is whether all of these companies including Apple can get us to stick stuff on our heads whilst they figure out how to get these products to maturity.

 

[Easy 10]

I don't even like wearing my glasses very much, let alone a three grand strap-on set of ski goggles round me noggin.

(feel free to go ahead and quote the strap-on bit)

 

[Acker79]

 

[jcdenton08]

Or could just be another home pod which no one bought as google and amazon did it way cheaper and not that much difference between them. I get this is leading tech at the moment but by the time it comes out others will already be hot on their heals at half the price.

Also wouldn't mind betting that the strap it comes with will be a basic one, want it to fit you - that's £150 for a premium one, that battery pack, £150, those lenses they showed so you can see it if you're wearing glasses, that'll be another £500 I'm sure.

They need take up to get it going and get it supported by the software developers, they're not going to spend money on it if no one is using it.

This is a completely different kettle of fish. Google and Amazon have better voice assistants and PLENTY of content to offer.

This is an extension of a totally dominant ecosystem in mac, iPhone and IPadOS.

The question is whether all of these companies including Apple can get us to stick stuff on our heads whilst they figure out how to get these products to maturity.

Or it’ll be another failed proof of concept which flops because people don’t want the inconvenience of wearing stuff on their face, with a high price point, and to be the Guinea pigs for tech which doesn’t have a clear purpose/USP. I’m thinking 3D TV.

It’s a stepping stone towards innovation, possibly, but not even that massively so given everyone in the market are improving their tech too.

It’s still all the same hurdles. Battery life. Motion sickness. Practical uses. It’s essentially a translucent iPad strapped to your face. Stuff like AR contact lenses are decades away because there is no way of powering them - even at the highest price point for the elite.

The examples used in the launch video pitch heavily towards it being a replacement for a super-size television. So every family member would need to own the device each, including children (who the product is not going to be marketed towards due to concerns about eye strain on growing eyes). There is no guarantee of the resolution of the image, which on Google Glass suffered numerous complaints.

I don’t mean to crap all over innovation; I recognised the iPod as a game changer, and the iPhone, but this doesn’t strike me as a product anyone will buy outside of the most hardcore of Apple super fans. I don’t even think it’s that innovative.

 

[jcdenton08]

I … like wearing … a three grand strap-on … round me noggin.

Giggity

 

[FatSuperman]

It’s still all the same hurdles. Battery life. Motion sickness. Practical uses. It’s essentially a translucent iPad strapped to your face. Stuff like AR contact lenses are decades away because there is no way of powering them - even at the highest price point for the elite.

The motion sickness only really comes into play when you are still and the environment you are in is moving... so moving around a game with a control pad whilst you stand still is horrendous - although you do get used to it after an hour a day for a couple of weeks. You don't get motion sickness sitting down watching a screen, or navigating a static environment.. whether you yourself are still or moving.

The launch video certainly points toward productivity, and the way they've thought about the usage here really showcases what Apple does well - truly thinking about how the device will be used. My Quest is awful for anything except entertainment. The ease of use of this thing looks incredible. It's absolutely bat shit expensive though. Perhaps someone in the market for a £3,750 16" Macbook pro would get this instead... but I think that's a bit of a stretch. So for the time being it'll be a second device for most adopters. And you just know that version 2 in <24 months will be miles better.

I would actually love this to be a success, because that will breed competition and further innovation. The workplace has been populated by the same digital technology for about twenty years.

I'll get one for work and pretend it's a trial. But only if I can have those weird eyes on the front modified so my eyes are a different colour.

 

[clapham_gull]

Like their operating system, Apple appears to be designing things for the rich elderly.

 

[clapham_gull]

Hardcore Apple fans aren't consumers. They're disciples (loons).

The American version of SAGA.