What could Apple’s VR headset do to justify its $3000 price tag?

three thousand dollar. Not $300. Not even a thousand dollars. three thousand dollar. This is a lot of money to get for something that will almost certainly give you a headache, make you feel irritated, and make you look like an idiot.

again: Apple’s VR/AR headset is coming.Here’s everything we know so far

Here are all the signs Apple to unveil legendary AR/VR headset at WWDC next week And the price of the product will be $3,000. in contrast, Meta’s upcoming 3rd generation headsetThe Quest 3 could cost under $500.

competitive variables

500 vs 3000? If Apple is going to announce something at that price point, it would be nice to have something a little more for it.

again: Best VR Headset for Gaming, Metaverse and More

AR/VR headsets There are only a few vectors for gaining competitive advantage. Let’s see them:

price: Apple has never really competed on price. We have always focused on feel, ecosystem integration, quality, exclusivity and design. The expected launch price is $3,000 for him, but Apple isn’t in a price war.

Stupidity: Most AR/VR goggles are much closer in form factor. scuba goggles from ray ban. The closer Apple gets to developing a headset that looks more like glasses than nightmare warts on its forehead, the more likely it is to succeed.

weight: Headset goggles are not only silly to look at, they are also heavy. Prolonged use may cause irritation to the neck and back.

comfortable: If you’re going to strap a 2-pound brick to your face, you need something to keep it in place. Over time, some AR/VR vendors have managed to improve comfort, but keeping something this big, cumbersome, and heavy in place often comes down to stiffness and It means sacrificing comfort for structure. Apple needs to find a sweet spot here.

Eye feel: Here we talk about adjusting devices to correct interpupillary distance and how to deal with people who need a prescription to see. How much eye strain do these cause?

Connectivity: What is the headset powered by? Is it connected to a computer, or does it have a small smartphone processor inside? It is said that some kind of belt pack is used as. Because it is neither boring nor unpleasant.

Execution time: This is a direct consequence of connectivity, as run time is a function of battery efficiency and size, or physical connection to wall power. Either way, how long you can operate the headset before it gets dark matters. Apple should do relatively well in this area, given its extensive experience with battery technology.

Apple could hit a home run on all six non-price factors if it was willing to charge enough to make it work. If so, a series of major objections have been overcome.

again: The 4 Best AR Glasses: Pro-Grade AR and XR Headsets

But rumor makers don’t call Apple’s devices “glasses.” They still call it a headset. So while Apple may manage to make this unit unpopular, it’s unlikely the company will push it out of the park.

Use Case

I’m wearing an augmented reality headset right now. I’ve been wearing it since I was a teenager. I only have one app in my setup called Eyesight Correction, but it’s a killer app for me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m talking about glasses. I use it when I watch TV, drive a car, use a computer, and sometimes even work in a store.

i recently The cost of the glasses was only about $20.I also used to like Jason Perlow. Spent over $700 on a special purpose pair. Unfortunately, the Super Focus lens that Jason and I purchased ended up breaking and the company went out of business. But they were a great help while they were working.

again: The Best Smart Glasses: Anything Better Than Ray-Ban Stories?

Ten years ago, being able to view and work on different computers was a huge productivity problem for me. So it was worth the extra money if it could get the job done and reduce eye strain. My setup and my eyes have changed over time and I am now able to use the same corrective lenses for both distance and computer work.

My point is that people will pay a higher price if there is a killer app. Since Final Cut Pro only works on Mac, I switched to Mac as my main working OS. Using Final Cut saved him a day a week over using Premiere Pro. This has greatly improved productivity.but not really accurate) The extra cost of a Mac is worth it.

again: best webcam you can buy

So what are the use cases for the new Apple headsets? Education, remote support, real estate sales, and healthcare are some obvious vertical examples. Macs and iPhones have become very popular in the business world over the past decade, but Apple remains a broad market player.

Are Apple headsets widely used in the market?

If this were still the era of the pandemic, you might say video conferencing is that killer app. Being able to be “present” and “face-to-face” with people in a meeting may have been worth the investment in an Apple headset. But we are no longer in lockdown, most businesses are in lockdown. Back to internal business.

The game will undoubtedly be great on any modern VR headset if you don’t spit it out. Apple hosts a ton of games on his iOS, so gaming could be an advantage for the headset. But gaming he may spend $500 on a headset, but he won’t cut the price by $300. Undoubtedly, games will thrive in VR, but only once the price point and hardware become practical for that purpose.

again: best pc gaming headset

One fascinating use case is demonstrated by a company named good view, produces a limited release product called the Spacetop. This is a laptop that ships without a screen. Instead, use AR glasses to view what appears to be a widescreen monitor. Both portability and privacy make this feature attractive. Interestingly, the glasses the company uses aren’t terrible. It looks pretty light and comfortable even when plugged into a computer. AR glasses and The laptop is $2,000.

again: best laptop you can buy

Outside of these applications, Apple headsets don’t seem to see widespread market use. Which brings us back to the original question…

What would it take to justify paying $3,000 for an Apple headset?

ZDNET Editor-in-Chief Jason Heiner said:“One thing I’m sure of is that if Apple launches a headset, it thinks it has a product that breaks new ground.”

Agree. Apple is never satisfied with launching mediocre, proven products. That product definition always includes some kind of special sauce. But the more I thought about it, the more I doubted Apple would ever release a headset, or at least not for the consumer market.

Without a killer app, or even a killer app Apple hasn’t leaked yet, $3,000 wouldn’t be appealing to the mass market. Additionally, many of us would be hesitant to place large objects on our eyes for any length of time.

again: The fitness industry isn’t going to pitch Apple’s rumored Reality Pro headset

The more likely ones are: Apple launches development kits for app developers and enterprise customers with related vertical applications. This is not unprecedented. At WWDC2020, Apple Releases Apple Silicon Developer Transition KitThis was a modded Mac mini running an early build of the then-new M1 processor.

WWDC is the ideal time to showcase the technology behind Reality Pro (which Apple is expected to name the headset). It’s an ideal time to hire a developer and see what you can do with it. It’s also an ideal time for developers to get hands-on and scratch their heads. This makes a lot of sense, and developers with apps that could potentially leverage the AR and VR potential of Apple headsets will certainly jump at the chance to test it.

again: All the Apple Products to Expect at WWDC 2023: Reality Pro Headsets, MacBook Air and More

No more iOS app development, So there is no particular reason to buy a headset now. However, once the final product is released, we know how it will react to users who wear glasses, and the price drops below $1,500 he will seriously consider it.

Of course, all of the above is speculation. We’ll know more on Monday. Do you think my prophecy came true? If not, what are your predictions? Let us know in the comments below.

---

Follow me on social media for updates on my daily projects. Please follow me on Twitter. @DavidGewirtz,On facebook Facebook.com/David Gewirtzon Instagram Instagram.com/David Gewirtzand on YouTube YouTube.com/David GewirtzTV.