Apple is known for its sleek and innovative products, but not everyone within the company is convinced about the upcoming release of its mixed-reality headset. According to a report from the New York Times, anonymous current and former employees have expressed their concerns about the device’s success.
Will Apple’s $3,000 VR headset be a hard sell for consumers?
While top executives have been shown a demonstration of the technology and are reportedly keen on the product, other employees have raised doubts about its potential. Some have even defected away from the project entirely due to their concerns, and others have allegedly been fired for not making enough progress on specific features.
One of the main concerns is that the headset is a device in search of a problem rather than solving an existing one. Unlike the iPod, which put music in people’s pockets, or the iPhone, which revolutionized productivity and communications, the headset doesn’t have the same clarity to drive it.
Another issue is the expected $3,000 price tag and design issues surrounding the battery, which may make it a harder sell to consumers, aside from the most faithful to the company.
There is also speculation that Apple may delay the release of the headset, as it did with AirTags, which were postponed for over a year before release so privacy concerns could be addressed.
Despite these concerns, manufacturing is reportedly underway, and a planned launch is expected in June, which makes a delay seem unlikely.
However, there have been reports that the decision to proceed with the headset in 2023 was against the advice of Apple’s famed industrial design team, who wanted to wait and release lighter AR glasses instead of a headset.
It’s important to note that reports quoting insiders about Apple’s plans are not necessarily accurate in their own right. Still, the fact that multiple sources have expressed similar concerns suggests that there may be some validity to these reports.
It remains to be seen how successful Apple’s mixed reality headset will be, but with concerns being raised internally, it will be interesting to see how the company addresses these issues and how they ultimately impact the device’s success in the market.
