Apple could be about to introduce its most ambitious and risky hardware product in years

()– Next week, Apple could unveil its most ambitious new hardware product in years, but in a product category that’s anything but a safe bet.

Apple is expected to unveil a “mixed reality” headset on Monday at its annual developer event that offers both virtual reality and augmented reality, a technology that overlays virtual images on top of live, real-world video.

The long-awaited launch of a virtual reality and augmented reality headset would be the biggest launch of an Apple hardware product since the debut of the Apple Watch in 2015. It could mark a new era for the company and potentially revolutionize the way millions of people they interact with computers and the world around them.

But even for Apple, with its remarkable track record, this launch faces challenges on multiple fronts.

According to reports, the company is considering charging a price of $3,000 for the device, far more expensive than most of its products, testing potential buyers at a time of continuing uncertainty in the global economy. Other tech companies have had a hard time selling similar devices. And in the years that Apple was rumored to be working on the product, the tech community shifted its attention from virtual reality to another hot technology: artificial intelligence.

But if there is a company capable of proving the skeptics wrong, it is undoubtedly Apple. The company’s entry into the market, combined with its vast customer base, has the potential to breathe new life into the world of scopes.

“Like your other devices, Macs, iPads, iPhones and Watches, it represents a new way of digitally interacting with others and with applications,” says Ramón Llamas, director of market research company IDC. “And how [el mercado] is, for all intents and purposes, still in its early stages, Apple can help shape the narrative of what AR/VR can be and make money off of it with devices and services.”

Apple’s long commitment to augmented reality

Apple CEO Tim Cook has long expressed interest in augmented reality.

In a 2016 interview with The Washington Post, Cook said: “I think AR is extremely interesting and kind of core technology. So, yeah, it’s something where we’re doing a lot of things behind that curtain that we talked about.”

In a interview Speaking with GQ earlier this year, Cook discussed the potential for augmented reality to help people communicate and collaborate with one another.

“We could collaborate on something much easier if we were sitting here brainstorming and all of a sudden we could look at something digitally and start collaborating and creating with it,” he said.

The initial potential of augmented reality can be seen in some iPhone apps like Ikea Place and Measure, as well as several Apple Watch apps. For example, iPhone users can point the device’s camera at a table and a virtual tape measure appears, allowing them to take their measurements.

On Monday, Apple could show how it plans to take augmented reality to the next level.

Apparently, Apple’s viewer will have two main functions: a virtual reality environment and a mixed reality component, which allows users to see augmented reality objects projected onto the real world. According to Bloomberg, the device, which could be called Reality One or Reality Pro, is expected to have an iOS-like interface, display immersive video and include cameras and sensors that allow users to control it through their hands, eye movements and with Siri.

According to Bloomberg, Apple’s new headsets will also include apps for gaming, fitness and meditation, and offer access to iOS apps like Messages, FaceTime and Safari. With the FaceTime option, for example, the headsets “will display the user’s face and full body in virtual reality,” according to Bloomberg, to create the feeling that they are both “in the same room.”

The rumored viewer could attract more consumers once it drops in price or introduces enough compelling apps and experiences. But for starters, the audience may be limited.

Some experts believe that Apple’s rumored viewer could have more resonance in the business market and enable various applications such as training and education. It could also enable meeting collaboration with more immersive video conferencing capabilities and tools like virtual whiteboards.

“The enterprise market is excited about a new headset, especially one that is likely to bring with it strong support for developers and content,” said Eric Abbruzzese, director of research at market research firm ABI Research that focuses on AR and VR. “So it’s a great time for that market.”

an uncertain market

For now, the global scope market remains small. Last year, 8.8 million virtual and augmented reality headsets were sold worldwide, according to data from the market research company IDC. This represented a decrease of 21% compared to the previous year.

By comparison, Apple is estimated to sell hundreds of millions of iPhones per year.

Facebook parent Meta, which dominates the fledgling virtual reality market, also faces challenges. He has come under pressure from investors for losing billions in his efforts to create VR products and a virtual world called the “metaverse.” The Wall Street Journal reported Last year Meta only had 200,000 active users on Horizon Worlds, its VR socializing app.

This Thursday, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, tried to get ahead of Apple’s announcement by presenting the viewer. Meta Quest 3 ($499), more affordable, that promise improved performance, new mixed reality features, and a sleeker, more comfortable design.

Other headsets and smart glasses have struggled over the years. Google recently stopped selling Glass, a decade after it launched. And Snapchat’s parent company has gone to great lengths to create smart sunglasses, after taking a nearly $40 million loss on excess inventory of the product early on.

Abbruzzese said the first wave of demand for Apple’s headsets could come from die-hard Apple fans who are deep into the company’s product ecosystem and see the value in connecting Apple services to the new headsets.

Apple could then push a “mass-market headset” in 2024 or 2025, Abbruzzese said.

As with previous Apple hardware products, consumers don’t always flock to the first-generation version. Developers also need time to build apps that appeal to a broader audience.

Unlike almost any other company, however, Apple can create demand for an experimental new product or category. Apple also has a secret weapon that many of its competitors don’t: hundreds of stores where consumers can walk in and try out the headsets.

“Apple doesn’t need to do much more than be Apple,” says Abbruzzese. “The interest will be there.”