Apple’s potential AR/VR goggles and metaverse participation have all eyes on the iPhone maker, but after Meta and Google fumbles, is now the right time?
- Since Apple CEO Tim Cook called augmented reality ‘exciting’, the tech industry has been waiting to see if Apple will commit to developing VR or AR goggles
- But following Meta’s false start in the metaverse, and the abandoning of Google Glass, is now the right time to be entering this space? Experts weigh in
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Apple fans are watching to see whether the iPhone-maker puts a culture-changing spin on virtual reality, even as rivals slow their march toward the metaverse.
All eyes are on whether Apple will commit to releasing long-rumoured virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR) “goggles” at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference in June, with programmers and software companies eager to get a jump-start on providing content.
Cook did not confirm plans for Apple eyewear, instead focusing more broadly on the promise of VR or AR and defending the time it would take to release a product to market.
“Apple is going to try to put its spin on [AR/VR products] and then lead others to water,” Creative Strategies analyst Carolina Milanesi says.
“We all know that once Apple gets into something, others follow.”
Apple’s approach to the metaverse would likely be different from that of Meta, which has proclaimed itself the future of the internet but slowed its substantial investments as part of overall belt tightening.
Cook’s version of AR emphasises a world in which an Apple product could “overlay” the real one with virtual imagery to create something better.
Meta’s experience with the metaverse has been humbling despite it being a leader in the emergent sector.
Gear from its Quest unit accounted for more than 80 per cent of the “mixed reality” headset shipments at the end of 2022, according to market tracker Counterpoint.
Meta’s false start follows the failure of Google Glass, the decade-long effort by the search engine giant that was mothballed for good in March.
“What Meta wants to do and what Apple wants to do are two different things,” Milanesi says.
Meta is out to create an immersive, digital form of Facebook that relies on advertising to make money, she says.
Apple’s business model is geared towards selling people premium devices and then to hawk games, apps, films and more to be consumed using the hardware, the analyst adds.
For example, Apple could craft virtual or augmented reality versions of its streaming television or music services that give viewers prime virtual seats to films or concerts.
Highly anticipated glasses or goggles would play to its strength while expanding its ecosystem, according to Daniel Ives, an analyst for banking company Wedbush.
“It’s a hardware play which goes into Apple’s sweet spot as further penetrating its customer base.”
Wedbush believes Apple will unveil “Glasses” AR/VR headsets at the developers conference in June, at a price in the vicinity of US$2,500, though others say US$3,000.
“This comes with critics but we believe it’s the right strategic move for Apple,” says Ives.
Analysts Avi Greengart of Techsponential and Rob Enderle of Enderle Group advise caution chasing Apple rumours.
“After Facebook lost a large amount of money doing it, it seems an odd time to launch a consumer headset,” Enderle says. “I hope Apple sees the writing on the wall, but maybe they have a train on the tracks and it is hard to stop it.”
If Apple does unveil some kind of glasses or goggles, their fate may rest on what problem they solve for consumers, Greengart says.
