Oculus founder Palmer Luckey has offered nothing but praise for Apple’s upcoming mixed-reality headset.
In a tweet, Luckey simply said: “The Apple headset is so good”
Luckey did not expand further on what makes the Apple headset so good but said there’s high confidence within the company for its launch.
The comment is a stark contrast with earlier reports that a number of Apple employees expressed concerns over compromises to the headset’s design and that its high price will lead to poor sales.
The headset is expected to cost from around $3,000 and will initially be positioned as a device for developers and other professionals. Apple expects to sell just one headset per day per retail store.
As expected for such a high price, the headset will have the specs to match. The headset is expected to pack 4K micro-OLED displays, dual M2-based processors, and 12 optical cameras for tracking hand movements.
Most current VR headsets are uncomfortable to wear due to large components and uneven weight distribution. To help overcome this, Apple will reportedly use external battery packs that can be placed in a pocket or clipped to a belt and will connect to the headset using magnets. Such a design also enables backup power packs to be swapped in as needed for longer sessions.
Apple is hoping for an “iPhone moment” with its headset but the mixed reports ahead of its launch suggest there’s still much that could go wrong.
In the past week alone, we’ve heard from renowned analyst Ming-Chi Kuo that Apple is “well prepared” for the expected unveiling next month. However, a report from the WSJ — corroborated by other sources — suggests that it won’t be smooth sailing.
“Some Apple employees and suppliers have questioned whether the rollout could be delayed given the challenges with integrating the headset with new software, its production and the broader market, people familiar with the product’s development said. Apple could still make changes to its timeline,” wrote the WSJ.
“The headset’s tentative introduction to the market, with known hurdles, contrasts with Apple’s usual path where products are introduced to the world as fully formed. The expected $3,000 price tag is out of the realm for many consumers, and the company is already anticipating some production issues.”
Luckey is not the first to claim to have hands-on experience with Apple’s debut headset and come away impressed:
A large number of sessions at Apple’s annual WWDC developer conference next month are expected to be “devoted to development of the software for the new headset.”
(Photo by Trac Vu on Unsplash)
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