Apple virtual reality headset: 5 reasons to fear a fiasco

Apple's next WWDC conference will take place onMonday June 5. During this, we should see Apple present its new software,iOS 17and macOS 14 in particular. But new products could also appear. One of them, highly anticipated at this stage, is a virtual reality headset. There are many clues at this stage that point to a reveal of this new feature during the fast-approaching event.

What ifrecently we told you 5 reasons why this could be a new revolution from Apple, everything is actually not so rosy. Several analysts have already expressed their fear about the introduction of such a product from the Californian firm. Let's detail together5 points that justify these fears, and which may underlie a potential large-scale failure for Tim Cook.

1 – VR is still struggling to establish itself

Virtual reality and augmented reality technologies have long been desired. They brought a lot of hope for the future. Except that many manufacturers have tried it, with little or no success at this stage. We think in particular of Google Glass from 2011, but also of Google Cardboard, or Microsoft's Hololens headset, or even Oculus solutions, then Meta.

Not without saying that these products have nothing interesting to offer. They just haven't caught on with the general public. VR remains, to date, confined to niche uses: certain professional worlds (architecture and design for example) and a few very specific types of entertainment (escape room experiences, thrill rides, horror video games). notably).

To realize this, all you have to do is count the number of people around you who have a VR headset, regardless of the manufacturer, at home. They can generally be counted on the fingers of one hand, unless you are immersed in the environment.

Another worrying symptom of this disinterest of the general public in VR: the applications and games available on the App Store which are based on augmented reality or virtual realityare very few in number. And among those that exist, we must still put aside all the proposals without real interest...

2 – The Apple headset should be expensive… very expensive

According to the latest rumors, the VR headset that Apple is preparing could exceed a selling price of3 000 dollars. So, certainly, a next, more accessible version would already be in preparation. However, to democratize a technology, it is necessary, among other parameters,that it is financially accessible to a wide audience.

At €3,000 per product, and in these difficult times of inflation where each euro counts for a lot, it will be difficult for Apple to impose itself.

At the same time, competitors operate with aopposite strategy: they drive the acquisition price down. Meta is notably working to make its line of VR Quest headsets more affordable. Its latest Meta Quest 2 is for information sold between €400 and €500 in France.

3 – A design… risky!

So certainly, Jony Ive, former iconic Apple designer, would have worked on this Apple virtual reality headset. But according to some well-placed informants, the Cupertino company has made surprising ergonomic choices.

For example, to limit the weight on the head, but still maintain comfortable autonomy, the headset would bewired to a battery to attach to oneself, on the belt for example… Not sure that the whole thing is very comfortable to use.

Otherwise, it is said that wearers of glasses will not be able to use the headset without removing their vision aids or without using contact lenses... On this subject, Apple would have provided the possibility of replacing the lenses of the helmet by lenses with corrections, precisely, for those suffering from vision problems.

4 – A product in Apple’s DNA?

Apple, with its products, has always wantedoffer solutions to problems. The iPod allowed music lovers to carry around hundreds or even thousands of CDs. The iPhone was introduced as a merger in 1 of 3 products, an iPod, a phone and an internet browser. The iMac is the dream computer for those who don't know anything about computers. In addition, it is a design object, which stood out at the time from gray and austere PC towers. For AirPods, this was an opportunity to cut the earphone cable and offer the easiest-to-use listening system on the market.

Thinking like this, what problem does a virtual reality headset solve in our lives as users of tech products? It is not easy to find a frank and clear answer there,which necessarily raises doubts regarding the interest of bringing such a product to the market.

5 – A headset focused on gaming, really?

Last but not least, it is based on a recent rumor talking about Apple's VR headset as aobject initially centered around the video game. So of course, as we saw above, virtual reality can be of interest in the world of gaming.But isn't this the area in which Apple has never succeeded in establishing itself?

On the one hand, PC video game players still prefer to turn to Windows rather than macOS. The other large part of gamers have fun on consoles, PlayStation and Xbox in particular. However, Sony already has its virtual reality headset.

The iPhone is certainly a video game medium gaining more and more importance in the video game entertainment market, but the mobile is not yet the first choice, neither of passionate gamers, nor even of a large part of the AAA title development studios.

For all these reasons, we fear seeing Apple's VR headset get off to a fairly critical start, like what the Apple Watch experienced when it was launched. The fact remains that, and we have already seen this in the past with the watch, but also with Apple Music, the Californian firm knows how to adapt and bounce back.

Do not hesitate to read or reread our previous article:5 reasons we can't wait to check out Apple's VR headset

It's up to you to tell us your opinion on this Apple VR headset project in the comments!