Apple will launch its mixed reality headset — a device that supports both augmented and virtual reality — this year, possibly at the WWDC developer conference in June, according to reports from various quarters. But the Financial Times reported this weekend that the decision has caused divisions within the company.
The report says the operations team, led by Jeff Williams, wants to launch a technologically advanced headset as soon as possible, even if the device will be bulky and expensive. While some members of the design team disagreed and wanted to wait until a lightweight AR glasses product became possible before releasing it, Apple CEO Cook supported the operations team’s view.
While lightweight AR glasses sound appealing, it is impractical at the current level of technology and could take years to come to fruition. Apple is also reportedly working on the glasses project as a long-term goal, though it will have to go through several iterations of the headset before it comes out.
The timing of the release is critical. Cook and Williams reportedly recognize the state of the market and think it makes sense to enter the field now, even though the first generation of head-mounted devices will be expensive and have limited appeal to consumers, with the idea of iterating and improving over time.
Sources say Apple’s first-generation headset is expensive (about $3,000, (currently about RMB 20,850) due to its cutting-edge technology, and is relatively bulky and has a short battery life. The company expects to sell about 1 million units in the first year.
The Financial Times described the situation as a disagreement between the operations team and the design team: Apple’s operations team wanted to launch a “version one” product, a ski-goggle-like headset that would allow users to watch immersive 3D videos, engage in interactive workouts or chat with realistic virtual images via an improved version of FaceTime. virtual images. But Apple’s famed industrial design team is recommending patience until a lighter version of the AR goggles is technically feasible. Most in the tech industry expect it will take a few more years before that happens.
Under Apple’s decade-old structure, Steve Jobs and the design team drove almost all of the decisions. The operations department served the design team’s wishes. That has changed under Cook, with operations gaining more power and visibility in the executive ranks. Over the past five years, key design team leadership has also left Apple, notably Jony Ive in 2019 and his successor, Evans Hankey, who has announced she will leave the company this year. Apple has even decided not to name Hankey’s replacement. Instead, the design team will report to Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams.
