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Apple’s Best Hope for New Headset: a Smartwatch-Like Trajectory

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Re: Apple’s Best Hope for New Headset: a Smartwatch-Like Trajectory

#161

Post by scarface74 »

etempleton wrote: post #41

If it is as described I think it is insane for Apple to launch this product. Comparing it to the state of the Apple Watch is pretty strange because if nothing else the Apple Watch was functional, self contained, worked, and was under $1,000. Even if it didn’t work you could put it on and ignore it. A VR/AR headset is nothing like that and at $3,000 is a significant investment for most everyone. But who knows. I haven…

> Apple Watch was functional, self contained, worked, and was under $1,000

The Apple Watch was far from “self contained” when it was first introduced. It couldn’t really run third party apps at all. The “apps” were just projections from the phone.

Over many years, it did become more self contained

- running apps independently

- gaining its own GPS chip

- gaining its own cell connection

- gaining its own App Store

Even today, you still need an iPhone for at least the first setup.

Also don’t forget that you couldn’t buy music on the iPhone when it was first introduced and it wasn’t until the iPod Touch was introduced later that year that you could buy music directly from the phone and then only over wifi.

It wasn’t until iOS 5 that you could update your phone without using iTunes on your computer.

Re: Apple’s Best Hope for New Headset: a Smartwatch-Like Trajectory

#162

Post by scarface74 »

woobar wrote: post #133
hnbear wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Watches, phones, and music players also all existed for a long time, and weren't a huge leap. Sure, smart watches were called revolutionary, but the first Apple Watch told the time and was fun but mostly unusable for much else. The notifications popped up, but actual interaction was so slow. But that's fine. It was great to have a watch (a >100 year old device), that shows texts. Same for phones - it was just iterati…

> first Apple Watch told the time and was fun but mostly unusable for much else. I had 1st gen watch till 2019 and my usage pattern hardly changed with the newer versions: - clock and weather information - notifications - Apple Pay - exercise tracking What else are you using it now?

I use my (3rd gen) Apple Watch while I’m running. It can stream music directly, has its own cellular connection and GPS. You couldn’t do that with the first gen.

Re: Apple’s Best Hope for New Headset: a Smartwatch-Like Trajectory

#163

Post by scarface74 »

paxys wrote: post #34
voisin wrote: post #28

Initial product will be weak, just like the original iPhone (no App Store, slow, poor battery life, etc) and Apple Watch (no development, no health tracking, small screen, poor battery life). The thing about Apple is not to judge based on v.1 but to watch the iteration. They are the most persistent company in the world. Compare to Google which seems to have ADHD. Apple will iterate and iterate and in 5 years we’ll al…

Where was this persistent iteration and overnight success with Homepod, Airpower, butterfly keyboards, touchbar, force touch, MobileMe, Ping? Apple has had its share of failures like any other company, and kills products like any other company. There is plenty of precedence for their AR headset to just fizzle out.

MobileMe is now iCloud.

HomePods still exists in both the mini form and the original form factor with newer chips.

The modern version of Ping is what is built into Apple Music.

Re: Apple’s Best Hope for New Headset: a Smartwatch-Like Trajectory

#164

Post by jareklupinski »

dalbasal wrote: post #105
iamleppert wrote: post #35

HoloLens is (soon to be was) a great AR device. Certainly useable and competent but it suffered from the same issue over and over: once the gee wiz demo was over, outside of a few very niche uses, people went back to using their laptops and smartphones. Because it’s easier to just pull out your smartphone, get whatever you need done, then put it back in your pocket. This rapid and random access is why people love sma…

True, until it isn't. That is, once a device is useful or otherwise desirable enough... Issues like awkwardness or microefficiencies fade. I think the issue is that there's not enough to do in vr/ar. If we had a vr game of thrones, then everyone would be in vr watching it. If ar made some job much better, everyone doing that job would use one. The modern platform paradigm means all the speculative, creative investmen…

If a family wants to watch game of thrones today, every one can gather around one TV screen and watch it using one person's account.

I think Apple first needs to solve how to license a piece of media to one account that can be then be shared to anyone else in the same room, or a lot of families are never going to try it.

The Nintendo DS blew me away with its "buy one game and let others download the multiplayer part for free" approach.

Re: Apple’s Best Hope for New Headset: a Smartwatch-Like Trajectory

#165

Post by scarface74 »

tomatotomato37 wrote: post #43

I'm interested what this will look like in 5 years. Apple's ecosystem is currently hostile to the largest market for A/VR so far, gamers. However if there is one company I would bet to pull a completely brand new market segment out of their ass it would be Apple. Should be exciting to watch.

Apple makes more on games via iOS than all of the console makers

Re: Apple’s Best Hope for New Headset: a Smartwatch-Like Trajectory

#166

Post by pitched »

kredd wrote: post #149
kmarc wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Because it’s easier to just pull out your smartphone, get whatever you need done, then put it back in your pocket. FWIW I see an alarmingly lot of people glued to their phone while walking, in a restaurant, on the train, while driving, etc. Once it's normalized that they don't actually have to "pull out, put it back", just use (wear) it all the time as it is with phones, there will be a market.

You still have some sort of spatial awareness while using a phone, which makes it more acceptable to use in public. Like, if I’m dining solo, and a waiter comes by, I will still acknowledge their existence and be able to respond to them, have an eye contact and be able to use your body language. That’s kind of lost in AR/VR case.

The headsets that exist today are very, very isolating. The whole idea behind them is to bring you somewhere else! To get AR right though, we need to be talking about something more like a projection like Google Glass. To bring the interface to you instead of bringing you to the interface means that pass-through must work when it’s powered off.

Re: Apple’s Best Hope for New Headset: a Smartwatch-Like Trajectory

#167

Post by jclardy »

jareklupinski wrote: post #164
dalbasal wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

True, until it isn't. That is, once a device is useful or otherwise desirable enough... Issues like awkwardness or microefficiencies fade. I think the issue is that there's not enough to do in vr/ar. If we had a vr game of thrones, then everyone would be in vr watching it. If ar made some job much better, everyone doing that job would use one. The modern platform paradigm means all the speculative, creative investmen…

If a family wants to watch game of thrones today, every one can gather around one TV screen and watch it using one person's account. I think Apple first needs to solve how to license a piece of media to one account that can be then be shared to anyone else in the same room, or a lot of families are never going to try it. The Nintendo DS blew me away with its "buy one game and let others download the multiplayer part…

Apple already built this in an underutilized iOS feature - SharePlay.

Re: Apple’s Best Hope for New Headset: a Smartwatch-Like Trajectory

#168

Post by r0fl »

rocketbop wrote: post #136
r0fl wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple sells WHEELS for a Mac Pro for $700! You think that same Apple will sell, what may be a totally new revolutionary product of less than half the cost of WHEELS? Try again.

> Apple sells WHEELS for a Mac Pro for $700 Not many of them though. AirPods are 200-300 and an absolute cash cow, and probably system sellers for Mac and iPhone.

AirPods are not as complex as virtual reality goggles. It’s like comparing apples to VR goggles.

Re: Apple’s Best Hope for New Headset: a Smartwatch-Like Trajectory

#169

Post by brokenmachine »

abledon wrote: post #109
dagorenouf wrote: post #87

The reason the Apple Watch took a few years to get traction is that: - Apple initially positioned it as a fashion accessory, which few people cared about - the public wanted it to be like a smartphone on your wrist, and were let down by the limited features Then Apple realized the value was in the health features. They started positioning it properly and people bought it more. All at the same time the tech improvemen…

also battery life still sucks on this generation. Once it lasts a week or two, then I'll be interested.

I'd want one day battery life for any device, like my phone.

Before bed I plug in all my devices.

Re: Apple’s Best Hope for New Headset: a Smartwatch-Like Trajectory

#170

Post by GeekyBear »

tedivm wrote: post #143
dagmx wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

HomePod Getting more successful with the Mini. The OG Homepod was a very V1 product like the person you replied to was saying https://appleinsider.com/articles/22/06/06/homepod-mini-was-... AirPower: never released Butterfly keyboards/Touch Bar/force touch: all features. The person you’re replying to is talking about product lines. You might as well list cd/devs drives and FireWire as well because things come and go.…

I agree with you on all of that except MobileMe. Apple killed that, then had a delay, then had iCloud. They were actually ahead of the curve for a bit and then went way far back before catching up again.

You seem to be misremembering that.

>All services were gradually transitioned to and eventually replaced by the free iCloud, and MobileMe ceased on June 30, 2012, with transfers to iCloud being available until July 31, 2012, or data being available for download until that date, when the site finally closed completely.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MobileMe

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