Apple Vision Pro: Can the Tech Giant Break the Curse of Mixed-Reality Headsets?
Apple Vision Pro is a mixed-reality headset that Apple is launching early next year.
The company is known for its successful product launches, but the history of similar products suggests that the Vision Pro might face an uphill battle.
Previous attempts at mixed-reality goggles have failed to live up to their promise, with the Virtual Boy by Nintendo being one of the most notable examples.
The high price, clunkiness, and lack of effectiveness have contributed to the failure of these products.
OculusVR, a VR headset firm, was a rare success story in the early days of VR headsets, and it was eventually bought by Facebook for $2bn.
However, big tech backing doesn't always guarantee success.
Google Glass and Magic Leap were both failures in the AR eyewear market.
Google Glass was criticized for its unstylish design, difficulty of use, and built-in camera.
Magic Leap, which was highly championed and raised a lot of investment capital, sold only 6,000 of its $2,300 headsets six months after release, despite being considered better than other AR headsets available at the time.
Consumers struggled to find meaningful uses for these devices that justified strapping them on.
A new reality?
Putting Magic Leap One to the test Other, simpler approaches to AR, such as Pokemon GO, were more successful but enthusiasm for the game soon fizzled out.
Apple's upcoming AR glasses, called Apple Glasses or Apple Vision, have a potential to succeed because of the advancements in tracking and graphics display technology, but it still faces the challenge of connecting with ordinary people and justifying its price point.
Apple is rumored to be working on a new AR headset, codenamed "Vision Pro," which could be targeted at specialist users such as architects in its first version.
The company aims to use augmented reality to imagine how a building might look in situ.
Microsoft's Hololens, which is used for mixed reality, has struggled to sell, with only 300,000 devices sold since launch.
However, it has found uses in the medical field and engineering.
There are concerns that AR headsets may make complex tasks harder to complete than without any hi-tech help.
Apple is facing competition from Magic Leap and Microsoft's Hololens 2.
It remains uncertain if Apple's Vision Pro will inspire copycats and novel user applications.
Previous attempts at mixed-reality goggles have failed to live up to their promise, with the Virtual Boy by Nintendo being one of the most notable examples.
The high price, clunkiness, and lack of effectiveness have contributed to the failure of these products.
OculusVR, a VR headset firm, was a rare success story in the early days of VR headsets, and it was eventually bought by Facebook for $2bn.
However, big tech backing doesn't always guarantee success.
Google Glass and Magic Leap were both failures in the AR eyewear market.
Google Glass was criticized for its unstylish design, difficulty of use, and built-in camera.
Magic Leap, which was highly championed and raised a lot of investment capital, sold only 6,000 of its $2,300 headsets six months after release, despite being considered better than other AR headsets available at the time.
Consumers struggled to find meaningful uses for these devices that justified strapping them on.
A new reality?
Putting Magic Leap One to the test Other, simpler approaches to AR, such as Pokemon GO, were more successful but enthusiasm for the game soon fizzled out.
Apple's upcoming AR glasses, called Apple Glasses or Apple Vision, have a potential to succeed because of the advancements in tracking and graphics display technology, but it still faces the challenge of connecting with ordinary people and justifying its price point.
Apple is rumored to be working on a new AR headset, codenamed "Vision Pro," which could be targeted at specialist users such as architects in its first version.
The company aims to use augmented reality to imagine how a building might look in situ.
Microsoft's Hololens, which is used for mixed reality, has struggled to sell, with only 300,000 devices sold since launch.
However, it has found uses in the medical field and engineering.
There are concerns that AR headsets may make complex tasks harder to complete than without any hi-tech help.
Apple is facing competition from Magic Leap and Microsoft's Hololens 2.
It remains uncertain if Apple's Vision Pro will inspire copycats and novel user applications.
