Apple Scraps Work on Mac-Connected Augmented Reality Glasses (yahoo.com) 23
Apple has canceled a project to build advanced augmented reality glasses that would pair with its devices, Bloomberg reported Friday, marking the latest setback in its effort to create a headset that appeals to typical consumers. From the report: The company shuttered the program this week, according to people with knowledge of the move. The now-canceled product would have looked like normal glasses but include built-in displays and require a connection to a Mac, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the work wasn't public.
The project had been seen as a potential way forward after the weak introduction of the Apple Vision Pro, a $3,499 model that was too cumbersome and pricey to catch on with consumers. The hope was to produce something that everyday users could embrace, but finding the right technology -- at the right cost -- has proven to be a challenge.
The project had been seen as a potential way forward after the weak introduction of the Apple Vision Pro, a $3,499 model that was too cumbersome and pricey to catch on with consumers. The hope was to produce something that everyday users could embrace, but finding the right technology -- at the right cost -- has proven to be a challenge.
Which of their customers (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
Me, I definitely want this. Not the shitty x-real version that's horrible.
But the AVP UWD passthrough is so good I wonder if that didn't end up killing the product on its own.
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>Not the shitty x-real version that's horrible.
What's wrong with it? I just looked at the X-Real Pro and given the price point it looked like it might be a nice toy if I find $600 burning a hole in my pocket.
If the image is decent, it could easily replace enough monitors to be price-equivalent and make a cubicle roomier.
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The image isn't decent, that's the problem. It's fine for watching low res movies on an airplane.
Re:Which of their customers (Score:4, Insightful)
Just checked. 1080p. Not exactly low-res, but not great for replacing multiple monitors.
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The hardware is great, the problem is the software ... and the company.
I picked up an XReal Air in 2023 and their Beam accessory when they released it a few months later.
If you're looking for a way to watch movies on a giant screen while you're on an airplane, you won't find anything better. The whole thing slips easily into a jacket pocket and you won't miss the extra space in a carry-on, even if you keep it in the oddly sized case. You just look like you're wearing a pair of ordinary sunglasses and it do
Re:Which of their customers (Score:4, Interesting)
I mean, fuck Apple, but I would definitely love something like this through a non-Apple company.
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lots and lots including myself. this is a dream for mobile workers. Many are standing in line for maybe Visor or to see what Facebook comes up with.
Xreal already exists. (Score:2)
It's compatible with anything that has an HDMI port, including Macs.
See? [xreal.com]
It's not cheap though. And I don't expect Apple can beat this price.
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If I'd known about them a month ago, I'd have bought a pair. I upgraded my video card instead.
Abandoned a stable market (Score:3)
Why don't they refocus on something their customers actually want, like a 27" iMac?
They go too far (Score:3)
First with VR, then scaling back to AR, it's still too much. Mind you, until they got the glasses down to something you could wear in public it was all DOA anyway.
But still, the killer AR app is the desktop monitor replacement. Give me floating virtual displays of whatever size I want, at whatever apparent distance I want, on something that looks like a normal pair of prescription glasses. Have ear bud(s) and a boom mic as clip-on accessories, give the power/data cable a quick disconnect. That's your business use right there. That alone would sell.
Once you have that, you can do things like have a small belt pack for some battery and a minimal HUD that'll interface with your phone or your car / motorcycle / snowmobile / boat / bicycle / airplane / toy drone / home security system to throw a dashboard in front of you. There's your personal use.
No camera required or desired. Leave that on the phone.
Build that, and the same kind of people who wear a Bluetooth earpiece all the time will adopt it overnight.
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"No camera required or desired. Leave that on the phone.
Build that, and the same kind of people who wear a Bluetooth earpiece all the time will adopt it overnight."
Yeah. Instead of being killer apps, cameras appear to be app killers. It seems that having a camera onboard is a drawback for social acceptance.
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yeah, i think the 'do everything' is probably the failing here. I like Visor's concept, just do the basics, people can put in airpods or over the ears of their choosing if they want. Just make really great floating screens.
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You're right! They should just stick to eyeglasses and sunglasses!
New CEO when? (Score:2)
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Probably 20 years from now, when he gets sick or dies. He's making boatloads of money, and that's what the shareholders really care about.
Don't re-imagine it just revise it. (Score:2)
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The Vision Pro is an amazing piece of technology, that costs too much. has too short of a battery life and weighs too much (though I'm fine with it).
. . .
The biggest thing the Vision Pro suffered from was too much hype and too many people that couldn't afford it who bought it to return it to make content, in which they blamed it for the return not that they aren't well off.
And the sad part is that anyone could have come to this exact conclusion the moment the product was unveiled. We all kinda assumed it was more of an early-adopter demonstrator at that point, and not something that Apple would quickly give up on the moment reality set in.
And all the pricks behind it? (Score:1)
Connects to the Mac? (Score:2)
There's your first mistake. Nobody wants AR that requires you to be tethered to your desk. For the same reason that using Vision Pro as a display for your Mac is a crappy experience, a lightweight AR headset that connects to your Mac would also be a disaster.
Paired with an iPhone, though, something like Google Glass with a better interface would be pretty cool. For example, use facial recognition to remind me of who this person is who just walked up to me and started talking to me like I should know him
Another unsourced rumor from Mark Gurman (Score:2)
Being a business analyst means never having to say your sorry. There's no disincentive to publish whatever unsourced rumor comes their way.
Does anyone have any FACTS?