Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

CTOnews.com, May 18 (Xinhua)-- Apple is about to launch an Reality Pro headset, a hybrid reality product that combines augmented reality and virtual reality. It is reported that the device will be officially launched at next month's WWDC conference, but compared with Apple's initial vision, the Reality Pro headset has many compromises and shortcomings, and even some Apple executives are skeptical about its potential, and Apple CEO Tim Cook is not actively involved in the project.

Apple has cut its hybrid reality sales forecast by about 2/3, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter. The company initially hoped to sell about 3 million units a year, but now it has reduced those expectations to about 1 million. And then cut back to 900000.

Apple has been developing two different augmented reality products: the Reality Pro headset, which combines AR and VR technology, looks like a ski mirror and requires an external battery pack; and Apple glasses, a lightweight, inconspicuous device that looks like ordinary glasses. But Apple CEO Tim Cook actually prefers to give priority to Apple glasses, while development work is increasingly focused on headsets, according to Mark Goolman of Bloomberg.

"according to several sources involved in the project, the product that Cook is going to show has deviated from his original vision," Gurman reported. At first, I imagined a pair of low-key glasses that could be worn all day, while Apple's device became a headset, requiring a separate battery pack. After initially setting the goal of making a lightweight augmented reality glasses, Apple gradually turned to something more like existing devices because of technical limitations, market requirements and internal disagreements. " The report also said it was doubtful whether Apple glasses would be launched. Only about 10 per cent of Reality Pro resources are devoted to the glasses project, codenamed N421. People involved in the project said Apple had delayed any formal product development for independent glasses for years, "almost killing the idea." They say it will take at least four years for Apple to launch such a product, if it does happen.

Insiders say that over time, more and more compromises have to be made to make Reality Pro devices viable. "the design of the product is also a silent admission that the company is unable to solve some core technical problems," the report said. For example, the functions of external Mac monitors and multi-person video calls are lower than the company originally intended, although Apple hopes to improve them. Apple also wants to be able to integrate the battery into the headset, but to reduce weight and prevent overheating, Apple made a very unApple-style design compromise: it redesigned the battery as an iPhone-sized package, held in the user's pocket and connected through the power cord. " This is a far cry from Apple's usual practice of not entering a new market until it is able to produce the product it really wants.

Another thing that is very unlike Apple is that the company reportedly plans to sell Reality Pro headsets at close to cost. This is in stark contrast to the 37% profit margin the company expects from other products. Goolman also said the company even discussed initially selling at a loss in order to gain a place in the market. According to the report, the annual development budget of the project is more than 1 billion US dollars (CTOnews.com Note: currently about 7 billion yuan), with more than 1000 engineers involved.

The report also said that according to people familiar with the matter, Apple executives such as Craig Federici and Johnny Sruggie are skeptical of the device. "Apple executives such as Craig Federici, senior vice president of software engineering, also keep their distance. And be cautious about headsets. Johnny Sruggy, senior vice president of hardware technology, is also privately skeptical, comparing it to a science project. Tim Cook was also described as "alienating" the project and frustrating the team by delaying decisions. "

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