Tim Cook has been working on the first mixed reality glasses for many years – they are expected to appear at WWDC in June – and the debate about whether they will meet expectations is mixed with another very different one.
Seven years of development. As indicated in the Financial Times, Apple has been working on this project for a long time. In fact, that’s twice as long as it took to launch the iPhone. It will be the first fully-developed product under Cook’s leadership, as previous ones — the iPhone, iPad and even the Apple Watch — were launched with full or partial involvement of Steve Jobs, who died in 2011.
IT MAY INTEREST YOU
New Motorola device with SATELLITE CONNECTION to the cell phone from anywhere
Internal discussion. Apple’s operations team wanted to launch a more limited first version as soon as possible. A device in the shape of ski goggles that would allow you to watch videos in an immersive way or exercise or chat with realistic avatars via FaceTime.
It is still better to wait. However, the industrial team and designers preferred not to launch in a hurry and to take things patiently. According to them, it would be better to wait until lightweight augmented reality glasses were feasible, something that could take years yet and whose complexity has caused numerous delays.
But Cook rules a lot. Caution has not won that debate, and according to two people close to the situation, Tim Cook has preferred to side with the operations division, led by Jeff Williams. Until not long ago, going against the design team was unthinkable —Jony Ive also commanded a lot— but things have changed in a company in which the operational business now weighs more than the industrial design part.
The glasses (probably) won’t sell much. At Apple they hope not to sell too much with this first model of mixed reality glasses. In fact, the estimated figure is close to one million units in the first 12 months of availability. One of the reasons will be its high price, which is expected to be around $3,000.