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Apple’s new headset meets reality

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411–420 of 527 posts

Re: Apple’s new headset meets reality

#411

Time will tell, but I think Tim Cook is the greatest CEO of our generation. Yes, Steve, Musk, Zuck, Gates etc are genius inventors, entrepreneurs and designers; but in terms of executions and day-to-day CEO stuff, I can't think of anyone better than Tim. I hope the headset is a success too.

From a software perspective, I think he'll be remembered as a Ballmer. He's pushed the services shtick to an extent even Steve would blush at, and kinda ruined the Mac and iOS in the process (IMHO).

FWIW I don't hold Musk or Zuck in very high regards either, it's just that neither of them were as successfully insidious as Tim was.

Re: Apple’s new headset meets reality

#412

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> One product often left out, which may have started with Jobs, but delivery should be attributed to Cook is the new Apple HQ. The initial impact has crumbled due to Covid WFH. > However, this campus may turn out to be a force multiplier going forward. If so, it is a victory, but not in the minds of consumers. Curious, have you ever actually talked to anyone that worked there? While I have admittedly only talked to a…

I only worked there briefly (I never officially had an office there — Covid times and all that). I don't see it as any different than any of the other Apple campus buildings I worked in (like Infinite Loop) with regard to productivity. (I've always compared it to some beautiful, modern art gallery — but without any art.) But to the above degree, I have to say I enjoyed all large Apple work environments (even some of…

Yeah Apple’s DRI system means it’s pretty easy to just talk to the guy. No PM nonsense. It’s nice.

Re: Apple’s new headset meets reality

#413
post #272
post #157

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I don't think casual users care at all about graphic quality. Just look at how the Switch or Wii exploded over every other game console. Same thing for games like Roblox. Graphic quality is purely an enthusiast niche target. If you want mass adoption you need to fix comfort and nausea.

Graphics quality was the biggest punch line for Zuck's Metaverse demo

Not if you are rendering the Zuck - he is quite lo-poly in real life.

Re: Apple’s new headset meets reality

#414

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> I think Apple wouldn't ship this if it wasn't a very, very good AR headset For heaven’s sake, Apple has a laundry list filled history of releasing half baked and subpar products - both hardware and software - and has been reliably consistent at doing that. I mean it’s just that its “target audience” sets their peak of standard what Apple expects them to, or to just what Apple offers. I have been using their AirPod…

It's not that I think they've never released a half baked or subpar product - they clearly have. It's just that it would be a spectacular failure to read the room if it's just a better Oculus Quest for a massive multiplier of the price. If they ship a $3000 headset into what has proven to be a niche market, then at the very least I feel they MUST feel it's a different ballgame than Oculus Quest. It's not $2500 of App…

I would like to see it compared to the Pimax Crystal which starts at $1600. Has the battery pack and very good optics. Not sure how they're going to beat folks that have been in the game for years but I guess we'll see. I think it's another Apple tax but they're going to compare to oculus/meta or Microsoft or Sony instead of the niche but high end headsets.

Re: Apple’s new headset meets reality

#415
post #14

this is why you start with a minimum viable product. Something like Snapchat specs. And then iterate from there Instead they've been spending $1b/yr developing something that will never be finished The first apple computer wasn't a fully loaded macbook pro. It was a circuit board strapped to a piece of plywood some upstart will come up with something usable

Did they sell this circuit board strapped to plywood as a product? Exactly, they didn't.

They have probably iterated a lot, what makes you think they haven't? You have zero visibility into their process

Re: Apple’s new headset meets reality

#416
post #169
post #90

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I hear your killer features and don't care for them at all in any way to put on glasses for them. I only need real navigation on holiday and I'm pretty sure not taking some expensive glasses on travel. Neither when hiking nor in a foreign country. And all the other Infos? I don't even use my smartphone for them. Why would I wear an expensive headset to compare a 3€ product?

I hear your killer features and don't care for them at all in any way to carry a tiny computer for them. I only need real navigation on holiday and I'm pretty sure not taking some expensive pocket computer on travel. Neither when hiking nor in a foreign country. I just print out the directions from MapQuest. K.I.S.S. And all the other Infos? I don't even use my desktop PC for them. Why would I carry an expensive hand…

You compare a small pocket device with a headset?

You don't see the difference? Especially when hiking?

You are then a non sweaty asian?

Re: Apple’s new headset meets reality

#417
post #349

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All the expensive VR headsets sold terribly, except for the cheap Oculus Quest. The lesson seems clear: When it comes to VR, people strongly favor price over quality. Which in turn suggests the Apple headset will fail. VR is perhaps like the original Game Boy: Not very powerful, no color screen, but low price and long battery life. It sold a lot, unlike the competition.

> The lesson seems clear: When it comes to VR, people strongly favor price over quality. Which in turn suggests the Apple headset will fail. That doesn't seem like the lesson to me. I think the lesson here is: VR is not good enough yet to demand a high price tag. And that's certainly my experience with it as well. It's a fun novelty right now, but not worth dropping a couple grand on. But if someone could push it, an…

+1 the tech isn't there yet. It needs to be able to replace my monitors and the visual quality has not been there yet. TBD on comfort and battery life. But I'd gladly drop $3K if it ticked all the boxes but not for a gimmick that I can only use for a handful of games.

Re: Apple’s new headset meets reality

#418
post #350

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I would argue that the move the Apple Silicon was in the pipeline long before Cook took over. I mean PA semi was purchased in 2008 and the first A4 processor was 2010, the writing was already on the wall a good decade out. But Air-pods, Apple Watch and Apple TV streaming were all under cooks watch. Maybe not as ground breaking but still very important. Mind you, who else has been doing ground breaking stuff like unde…

> I mean PA semi was purchased in 2008 and the first A4 processor was 2010, the writing was already on the wall a good decade out. Is this similar to how AMD's Bulldozer architecture back around that timeframe was the writing was on the wall for their current competitive dominance over Intel? PA Semi was a great talent accu-hire, but AFAIK at the time of acquisition they only had Power-based designs ready for market.…

PA Semi while an accu-hire was entirely done so that they could build processor tech internally.

By low hanging fruit, I mean the concept of a portable computer in your pocket. I'm not undermining the astounding work that went into things like the iPhone - The execution was fifth steps above everyone else. I just mean after the iPhone and iPad, ideas that had been around for a long while but had not been executed well, we have been waiting to see what the next step will be. I feel this is why things like VR got so much traction.

Re: Apple’s new headset meets reality

#419

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Yeah. I think Carmack said even the Quest was still too expensive. The PSVR2 has the additional problem that it requires a PS5. It's not a standalone system. That's like a Game Boy for which you need to own an NES. Or like a Wii U console, where the tablet controller wasn't a standalone system, and which flopped, in contrast to the Switch.

The Wii U had the bigger issue that Nintendo never actually made it clear to a lot of people that it was even a new console rather than some kind of weird tablet add-on to an existing Wii.

It really was poor marketing. A simple "Wii 2" would have done better. I'm also confused about "switch OLED". Is it just a nicer screen or more than that?

Re: Apple’s new headset meets reality

#420

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would argue that the move the Apple Silicon was in the pipeline long before Cook took over. I mean PA semi was purchased in 2008 and the first A4 processor was 2010, the writing was already on the wall a good decade out. But Air-pods, Apple Watch and Apple TV streaming were all under cooks watch. Maybe not as ground breaking but still very important. Mind you, who else has been doing ground breaking stuff like unde…

Are Air-pods, Apple Watch and Apple TV actually VERY important? The whole Wearables, Home and Accessories category is 10% of Apple's revenue and that includes Beats and what not.

While I wouldn't put so much weight on Apple TV+, air-pods and Apple watch do pretty much launch wireless headphones out of a niche into the mainstream and absolutely kick started the smart watch market across all vendors.

I say this as someone that uses none of these type of devices from any vendor.

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