Apple is roundly expected to announce its first mixed reality headset this year. Now, the headset that's been dubbed Reality Pro is at the center of a new report that claims even some of those inside Apple aren't fully sold on the project.
According to that report, some inside Apple aren't convinced about the mixed reality headset's potential, especially given the high price that people will be expected to pay. In fact, some have even reportedly left the Reality Pro project altogether because of their doubts.
But Apple is expected to push ahead, with the report also adding fuel to the release window fire — Apple will announce the headset in June 2023, it says.
Mixed up reality
The New York Times report claims that "there are concerns about the device’s roughly $3,000 price, doubts about its utility, and worries about its unproven market."
While some employees are said to have left voluntarily, others were reportedly fired over a perceived lack of progress — we've been hearing rumors of Apple working on this headset or something like it for years.
While 2023 is already set to be a big year thanks to the release of what is expected to be its best iPhone yet, the iPhone 15 Pro, attention right now is very much on the Reality Pro headset.
The headset is expected to cost around $3,000 thanks to the technology involved. Mac-like chips will power it, while cameras will scan its surroundings and two 4K displays will show users what they need to see. But in a world full of failed headsets, asking people to spend $3,000 on one made by Apple could be a hard sell.
Apple also isn't normally the one entering a market that is yet to mature. Instead, it prefers to join later as it did with the iPad in 2010 and the Apple Watch in 2015. By contrast, the rest of the AR and VR industry seems to be waiting on Apple to create a market that not everyone is convinced exists. Not least those inside Apple.
