The Inside Story of Why Apple Bet Big on a Mixed-Reality Headset
source link: https://www.theinformation.com/articles/the-inside-story-of-why-apple-bet-big-on-a-mixed-reality-headset
Go to the source link to view the article. You can view the picture content, updated content and better typesetting reading experience. If the link is broken, please click the button below to view the snapshot at that time.
The Inside Story of Why Apple Bet Big on a Mixed-Reality Headset
For years, Apple has toiled in secret on an augmented and virtual reality headset that could one day lead it to a post-iPhone future. In the first of two stories, we chronicle how the project struggled to get off the ground and has been beset by delays caused by technical and leadership challenges.
Apple's Tim Cook (clockwise from top left), Bob Iger, Al Gore and Mike Rockwell. Images by Bloomberg, Shutterstock. Art by Mike Sullivan.
In 2016, Apple’s board of directors gathered inside one of its buildings in Cupertino, Calif., for a glimpse into the company’s future.
Former Vice President Al Gore, then–Disney CEO Bob Iger and other Apple board members walked from room to room, trying out prototype augmented and virtual reality devices and software. One of the gadgets made a tiny digital rhinoceros appear on a table in the room. The creature then grew into a life-size version of itself, according to two people familiar with the meeting. In the same demo, the drab surroundings of the room transformed into a lush forest, showing how users could seamlessly transition from AR, in which they can still view the physical world around them, to the more immersive experience of VR—a combination known as mixed reality.
The prototypes weren’t exactly the lustrous products the company is known for. Many were cobbled together from off-the-shelf parts and ran on Microsoft’s Windows operating system, software Apple normally keeps its distance from. Several were jury-rigged HTC Vives, one of the few commercially available VR headsets at the time. At least one was so heavy that it had to be suspended by a small crane so the Apple board members could wear it without straining their necks, the two people said.
Recommend
-
16
Surprise! Apple might unveil mixed-reality headset in 2021News
-
11
Apple's mixed reality headset to be delayed until 2023 Apple has reportedly been working on new devices with augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) capabilities for a long time, but it’s still unclear when these products wi...
-
15
Apple gains pair of mixed reality headset patents
-
11
Apple shows off mixed reality headset behind closed doors There have been numerous rumored Apple devices over the years but perhaps the top two most intriguing would be
-
8
Mixed reality — The full saga of Apple’s troubled mixed reality headset has been revealed It's a complicated tale of processors, base stations, politics, and Jony Ive....
-
10
Apple's mixed reality headset may miss WWDC for 2023 launch
-
5
Apple's mixed reality headset coming in Q2 2023
-
6
Apple Mixed Reality Headset May Have Been Hit With Another Delay ...
-
9
Why Apple's Mixed-Reality Headset Won't Fail Like Google Glass ...
-
7
Apple’s mixed reality headset will reportedly come with an M2 chip
About Joyk
Aggregate valuable and interesting links.
Joyk means Joy of geeK