Apple MR headset project beset by technical and leadership issues

re: 

Former Apple design chief Jony Ive also had reservations about the project, apparently shooting down the idea of a dedicated VR headset because such devices "alienated users from other people by cutting them off from the outside world, made users look unfashionable and lacked practical uses."

I get that. But... I just happened to talk to a friend who ordered an Oculus because she experienced using one first hand and was absolutely blown away by it. This friend is (1) over 50, (2) generally very focused on her appearance (this is a girly girl, not a nerd girl), and (3) not at all technical. She just found the experience so incredibly compelling that she had to have it. She had never even heard of Oculus before and knew very little about VR. 

I know it's one data point, but it was so different from what I expected that I am really reconsidering the merits of the Ive-style argument. I think he might be really wrong about how widespread the appeal of VR might be. 

If Apple can offer something technically superior to Oculus (and I'm sure they can), at a decent price, and marketed with the usual Apple marketing, I think they could do very well. 

It's a shame that the person leading the effort doesn't have the ability to make that case to senior management. 

Jury-rigged? Surely you mean jerry-rigged.

this project has been postponed by a year every year for the past five years…

blastdoor said:

If Apple can offer something technically superior to Oculus (and I'm sure they can), at a decent price, and marketed with the usual Apple marketing, I think they could do very well. 

Disclaimer: I own an Oculus Rift S.

The VR hardware itself works adequately even though it's still in its infancy from a consumer standpoint.

I'm sure Apple can make something better than what I currently own. However it won't be cheaper, not with Apple's business model and gross margins that's for sure.

The bigger problem is the current lack of compelling content. I have a few games and the only one that truly stands out is Half-Life: Alyx. There are other environments and scenarios such as sitting in a virtual living room and watching 3D movies and videos or exercise apps.

My main issue with the technology is that I hate HMDs, headphones, skiing goggles, scuba masks, etc. They aren't comfortable.

blastdoor said:

It's a shame that the person leading the effort doesn't have the ability to make that case to senior management. 

My guess is that most of Apple's senior management team have tried the various competitors' HMDs as well as various kinds of content. For a brief interval there were HMDs that accommodated smartphones (like Google Cardboard and more carefully crafted ones); I had a Mattel one that looked like the old school View-Master. I no longer own the View-Master since it only accommodated a handful of iPhone models, none of which I still own.

I believe PS4 has a VR option; Sony has announced VR coming for PS5.

And let's not forget Nintendo Virtual Boy (1995). 

There were also "arcade" implementations of VR like the Aladdin Magic Carpet ride at Disney's EPCOT Center also back in the mid-Nineties so it's not like VR is new tech. Apple execs should be familiar with it.

It's worth pointing out that recent market studies have shown that most VR headsets end up collecting dust after a short spurt of interest. Again, I think this tied heavily to the lack of compelling content and experiences. It's not like anyone is going to use a VR HMD to watch a regular 2D movie or listen to Spotify.