Speaker 1: There is so much drama and mystery surrounding whatever Apple is gonna do with a mixed reality headset after years of reported delays and multiple news outlets making their own fake renderings of the design because we're all tired of talking about something we can't see yet. Everyone is saying the headset will be shown off at WW d c the developer's conference in June. That's right. Apple's making this massive leap into a whole new [00:00:30] hardware product category announcing what could be the beginning of the post iPhone era with a device that could change how we work and play is rumored to cost three grand. And you're telling me that that is gonna happen in the same breath as news on operating system updates. What? Yeah. No one cares about watch OS 10. No one's gonna care about Mac OS 14, not when there's gonna be a headset thing.
Speaker 1: Hiding behind some curtain is all people wanna talk about. So why would an iconic new product share the [00:01:00] limelight at a developer's conference and why wouldn't Apple give this VR r headset thing its own special event? And let's think about the climate right now for Apple to unveil such an important piece of risky hardware. You're telling me now Tim Cook is finally gonna do it in this economy with wave after wave of tech layoffs, bank collapses and inflation mania sweeping the nation. Yeah. Yeah. Now they decide it's VR time. Ah, cool. Yeah, [00:01:30] there are a lot of questions and I want to know all of your biggest Apple headset concerns through your comments and questions below. And be sure to subscribe to the channel because we're gonna answer them in a future episode. I really wanna see what Apple is doing here. I wanna get swept up in whatever wild VR magic they have been crafting for the past seven years or however long it's been.
Speaker 1: But does the world have the capacity right now to have any interest in this? One more thing. Perhaps we should be thinking differently about this product from other Apple hardware [00:02:00] launches. Let's go over how Apple would potentially treat this reveal at WW d c and why it won't be like other Apple products. I'm Bridget Carey and this is one more thing. This rumored headset could be seen as Tim Cook's big legacy as he sets up the next phase of the Apple product universe. But the hype is heavy here. Speculation began five years ago when stories started cropping up about the project. Rumors from mostly reliable sources ramped up over [00:02:30] the past few months. We have heard it could be called Reality Pro that this would let you watch 3D video, it would do interactive workouts, use hand tracking and have some sort of realistic FaceTime avatar chats with other people, whatever that's supposed to be, all while wearing some sort of high tech ski goggles.
Speaker 1: The big picture is still pretty hazy. Recently we have seen some ribbon cables of allegedly leak out. It's posted by Mac Rumors and nine to five Mac from [00:03:00] a Twitter user called Mr. White. Yeah, looks like the shape of glasses. Such curves so mysterious ing stuff. A few days ago a story came out from the Financial Times that there is a huge pressure on the Apple headset team to ship it out now and some tech for augmented reality may not be fully perfected so we could see other iterations of headgear from Apple down the road. So why is this so dramatic? Apple has to pull off some serious magic here. So let's pull in the VR [00:03:30] and AR master who has covered Apple for years and he knows a few tricks the company may have up at Sleeve. Cnet editor at large. Scott Stein. I feel like we've been here before
Speaker 2: <laugh>. Yeah, we have. It's been a long time waiting for this headset.
Speaker 1: We've been talking so much about this headset before, but we did not think it would be at WW d c just a few months ago. So what would a launch at the developer's conference look like?
Speaker 2: Yeah, this is like, seems like option two where the first would've been you announced the headset [00:04:00] and they didn't do that. Now you're gonna maybe fold it in at this show that is all about the developers. It makes sense to talk about it there, but that's a lot of stuff to digest. Like it's, it seems like you would eat up the show to talk about the headset when that show is also supposed to be about Mac development and iPads and phones and watches and whatever else.
Speaker 1: How are headsets typically announced cuz you've been to quite a few Unveilings?
Speaker 2: Well, headsets sometimes feel like they evolve more than they're suddenly born. [00:04:30] I mean things like the Oculus Rift or a magical Leap where these things you heard about for such a long time by the company, not rumors but actual, you know, intended leaks that then manifest into a product or you see demos over year after year. So laying it all down at one event is not typically a VR air headset move. That's why I thought that Apple would do some sort of demo event before and then something after and then something after that. It's like a
Speaker 1: Slower rollout.
Speaker 2: Yeah cuz there's a lot to take in. I still feel like you've gotta kind of show something like you gotta show [00:05:00] magic, you gotta show magic. They gotta do the equivalent of like making the handkerchief disappear where it's like wow, that's cool. Woo. How'd they do that anyway, I do magic. You know the point is that like they have to VR headsets have a moment of wow that's what made them cool. Sorry for that but like, you know, are they gonna have like a FaceTime demo with the avatars? We're so used to VR headsets now like I am that I've seen a lot of how those work. You know, are they just gonna get into the nuts and bolts of like here's how we're gonna make ours. I think that they're gonna have to start over [00:05:30] and say here's the cool thing. Okay now here's all the other stuff you can, do
Speaker 1: You think they're gonna like bring it on stage and have Tim Cook wearing it or is it gonna be more uh, quiet behind the scenes type over?
Speaker 2: I think more of that because the, these things get clunky and weird even in the best scenarios. Plus sometimes they don't work right And you got the stage demo plus also nobody knows what you're seeing. Every time I wear something weird on my face,
Speaker 1: You have a lot of experience with
Speaker 2: That, right? You don't know what, seeing it's not the same thing. They
Speaker 1: Could talk about reality [00:06:00] os that has been something that people have seen in code that has been reported on and kind of out there for developers already. So it's not a total secret that there is software for, it's just not as exciting as the hardware.
Speaker 2: And they could have something like a developer kick. Cuz the question is who is this for? Is it for the developers? Is it for the everyday person? Is it for work? Because when you have something simple like a VR headset for gaming, like the Quest two, everyone gets it. But when Meta started to flex into doing stuff for work and a more expensive headset, [00:06:30] a lot more complexities and then it's not so easy. I think Apple needs to make something that is developer friendly. Definitely. But then the first version of whatever this is, there's been all this talk about that the product may not be ready or the designers didn't want to be ready but maybe they want to put it out anyhow. The first version of an Apple product that's new usually isn't the, isn't the one that you get. I I think the, it's about the iterations of the product more than the, is this product the one? And so in that sense, like what does it really matter? Or just they have to get the foot in the door.
Speaker 1: [00:07:00] I'm so curious and yet can't help but wonder how this is gonna be so different from every other Apple product.
Speaker 2: Yeah, well and it needs to work with all the other Apple products. Like nobody has made a headset that really works seamlessly with your phone, your watch, your tv, your laptop or whatever. And some of them do parts of it, but that's like the biggest opportunity for Apple or eventually Google, Samsung and that partnership that they're working on is to like get this thing to just feel normal with everything that you do [00:07:30] and feel like a, a peripheral. I think it makes sense to have something that could be upgraded over time, which doesn't seem very Apple, but also like if it's a peripheral to your laptop or your phone, like, you know, you're not gonna wanna buy a new one of these for X thousand dollars maybe ever, but like maybe you buy once and you know if it's really good. So they have to kind of map that out too. Like what, what, what happens there?
Speaker 1: All right, we'll have to see. Do you have more magic tricks while we wait? Cuz we have a long time. We have to wait. It seems
Speaker 2: <laugh> we're gonna have to bring some [00:08:00] more, you'll bring some card tricks, some Cory tricks. I'm gonna be at Wwd C with the whole whole little magic kit and stand and set that up. Um, thanks. Thank you
Speaker 1: Scott
Speaker 2: <laugh>. Thanks Bridget.
Speaker 1: How Apple launches the headset is important, but maybe it's being done like this because it's only going to be important to developers because it could be version two or three that's gonna be important to you and me in getting the public on board. Apple needs content and gaming built out to get people to understand its value. Maybe because of the economic [00:08:30] climate. It's a good thing. Apple launches it slowly. If most consumers are going to wait, then this makes 2023. The year of building out everything. The first iPhone was interesting. Who wants a stylist? But things didn't get real good until the three Gs. Let me know in the comments how closely you will be watching this reveal. And if you're someone who wants the first model, no matter what or if you're more of a wait and see person and if you have questions for me or Scott, we're gonna tackle them in a future episode. If Apple doesn't succeed right off [00:09:00] the bat with this, it's not the end. The company has diversified into a finance company and Apple's now also a content empire of movies and TV shows and exercise programming and music stations and gaming and sports broadcasting. But how will all of that fit into the high tech goggles? The suspense is terrible. I hope it will last.
