If true, any one of those problems might have hurt a finished product, but Apple could have worked around most of them, unless the hardware was unbearably large. Even today, as the Watch has matured into a successful product family with compelling features, it lives in the shadow of the iPhones it depends upon.ĭigiTimes says that industry insiders are speculating that Apple froze AR hardware development for one or more of three reasons: It couldn’t make the glasses light enough, wasn’t yet able to integrate 5G technology, or didn’t have enough AR software ready to go. Rather than holding the Watch back until it was perfect, Apple revealed it more than seven months before it was ready to ship, released a disappointingly sluggish first model, and then fought an uphill battle to keep developers and users interested in the platform. Back then, Apple CEO Tim Cook was under pressure to prove that Apple hadn’t lost its ability to innovate after Steve Jobs’ untimely death. Think back to 2014’s announcement of the Apple Watch. But if iGlasses look weird, work poorly, or don’t have much software, Apple could have much bigger problems to deal with than if it released nothing at all. People will tolerate an ugly iPhone screen notch or a big square camera housing if the devices can do cool new things. It’s easier for Apple to say “yes” to adding another iPhone camera than to build production lines for an all-new product with risky sales prospects and the potential of public disapproval. The problem with saying so many “no’s” is that they tend to disproportionately impact big and exciting initiatives. It has reportedly shelved fully developed concepts to await technology breakthroughs or favorable component availability, held up hardware to improve software (see: HomePod), and on rare occasion, canceled products (see: AirPower) after formally announcing them for release. Unlike these other companies, however, Apple has openly advertised its history of saying “ a thousand no’s for every yes,” and proudly holding off on launching products - sometimes at the eleventh hour, following much if not all of their development - because the execution or timing didn’t feel right. Before spending nearly three years at Apple, Bar-Zeev was the principal architect for Microsoft’s HoloLens, cofounded what became Google Earth, and worked for Amazon on an unspecified “new stealth project.” If anyone could envision a next-generation AR headset and marshal a large company’s resources to build it, Bar-Zeev looked like an ideal candidate. Citing “people familiar with the situation,” the hit-and-miss Taiwanese publication claims that Apple quietly disbanded its AR/VR hardware team in May following the departure of its reported leader, Avi Bar-Zeev. Executed properly, nothing would seem more appropriately “2020” (or 20/20) to consumers than Apple-designed glasses featuring holographic visuals.īut a questionable report yesterday from DigiTimes has thrown cold water on that scenario. They’ve reportedly been in the works for years, could organically build upon Apple’s iPhone and wearable ambitions, and would instantly put to rest any discussion that Apple wasn’t innovating. One of the most difficult things for persistent Apple critics to grasp is that the company’s success - at least, as measured by Wall Street - isn’t as dependent on innovation as might be assumed from the company’s most common (and stinging) criticism. Besides the Apple Watch, Apple hasn’t launched a category-defining product in years, but that hasn’t stopped it from repeatedly breaking sales records or becoming the United States’ first trillion-dollar company.Įven so, Apple followers have been anxiously waiting for something new and exciting to shake things up, and up until this week, augmented reality glasses - iGlasses, for short - seemed to be the most likely candidate for imminent release. Connect with top gaming leaders in Los Angeles at GamesBeat Summit 2023 this May 22-23.
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