![]() I think Apple’s VR headset will struggle for the exact same reasons. The Apple HomePod in all is glory (Image credit: Future) While Apple did launch a HomePod 2 in January, it was announced with minimal fanfare, and it has the same shortcomings as the original (the HomePod mini has stuck around, but Apple barely mentions it these days). In our three-and-a-half-star Apple HomePod review, we commended the device’s “amazing sound and incredibly intuitive set-up”, but its over-reliance on the Apple ecosystem and its relatively high $349 / £319 / AU$499 price meant that overall, it was a disappointment.Ĭouple that with the fact that it was launching well after rivals like Google and Amazon had cornered the market with a range of budget-friendly yet capable smart speakers (with options like the Sonos One catering to audiophiles) and it’s no surprise that the HomePod was unceremoniously discontinued in 2021. The original HomePod launched in February 2018 as Apple’s first-ever premium smart speaker. The more leaks and rumors I hear about the Apple VR headset, the more it reminds me of another Apple product: the HomePod. If Apple intends for its headset to be a laptop replacement thanks to its M2 capabilities, I’m already pretty confident that it won’t be that for me – I’ll take a regular MacBook thanks. I spent a week wearing my Meta Quest Pro and working in VR, and I was surprised, and disappointed, by how clunky and uncomfortable the experience was. What’s more, its rumored productivity upgrades are likely to go unappreciated – because working in VR, frankly, sucks. Given that Apple hasn’t been developing XR experiences or working with XR developers for as long as Meta, I have a hard time believing that its headset will make these features feel any less gimmicky and overpriced at launch. Other than price, another issue with the Meta Quest Pro (which I highlighted in my four-star Meta Quest Pro review) is that its most premium features – face-tracking, eye-tracking, and color passthrough – feel underused. Sure, its performance is more limited than more recent releases, but in terms of value for money it's yet to be beaten, and people are still flocking to Meta’s hardware for that reason. ![]() The very budget-friendly ($400 / £400 / AU$630) headset has sold around 20 million units since launch, far outselling all other Meta/Oculus headsets combined – including the newer Meta Quest Pro. The Oculus Quest 2 has proven that price is a major driving force for people looking to pick up a VR headset. The Meta Quest Pro is likely going to be a better fit for most VR users (Image credit: Meta) But those comparisons go to show how $3,000 stacks up against the Apple headset’s biggest competition. Now, you probably don’t need four VR headsets (especially not both Quests from Meta), and if you’re buying Apple’s headset you’ll probably already be invested in its ecosystem. In the VR sphere, you could buy an Oculus Quest 2 ($430 for the 256GB model), a Meta Quest Pro ($1,000), a Pico 4 (around $460 for the 128GB model), a PS5 ($500 for the disc version), and a PlayStation VR 2 headset ($600) and still have $10 left over for a coffee and a sandwich or if you’re looking for new Apple tech you could instead pick up an iPhone 14 Ultra ($999 for the 128GB model), an Apple Watch Ultra ($799), an iPad Pro 12.9 (2022) ($1,099 for the 128GB model), and a 2nd-gen Apple Pencil ($129) for a smidgen more, at a total of $3,026. To put it in perspective let’s see what else that much of your hard-earned cash could get you. Tech can be expensive – especially in emerging industries like the XR space – and Apple is certainly not shy when it comes to launching pricey products, but $3,000 is a lot of money. Oh, and let’s not forget that it’ll probably cost you in the region of $3,000 (around £2,200 / AU$ 4,400). According to people familiar with the device, the Apple VR headset will only be usable in short bursts we’re expecting a battery life that’s no better than the Meta Quest Pro’s roughly hour-and-a-half-long usage time between charges. However, the headset – which has been described as ‘a laptop on your face’ on account of its expected processing power – will likely have one major letdown: battery life. One will be XR-focused (XR is a catch-all term for VR, AR, and MR) – either a Snapdragon XR2, XR2 Plus, or something similar of Apple’s own design – and the other will be an M2 chip: that’s right, the same chip that powers Apple’s best MacBooks and Macs. ![]() Under the hood – or rather behind the display – the headset will apparently be powered by two different chips. Some of Apple's best laptops run on an M2 chip (Image credit: Future)
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |