News Apple telegraphs virtual reality plans

They have the R&D budget and manufacturing contracts to get a product to market quicker than most and cheaper than rivals if they really want to do it. Can not really see the benefit to them unless they are going to tie it to the IPad / IPhone range.

Not like they could not get games developed exclusively for them they have a spare $100bil + at last check. Google is paying them $1bil a year to stay as main search engine on IPhone. There's some spare change for VR.

Personally like there car plans will believe it when they announce it.

 

Oh thank god! I, for one, can't WAIT for Apple to invent virtual reality. And I GUESS maybe people have done it before, but they gave half-baked toys instead of an actual EXPERIENCE like Apple created.

...

Am I laying the sarcasm on too thick?

 

I hope it's as popular as their watch.

 

If Apple sell 7 million VR units they will be delighted, that's what the watch has sold. Or did you not know that before you posted.

VR will not see 7 million unit sales this year between all competitors.

Sales as of November 2015.

Sales update will be next week estimates put it between 12-15million units.

 

Waiting for the Mactards to proudly proclaim that Apple invented virtual reality...

 

Apple iReality(TM) will probably cost over $1k, and the masses will eat it up thinking that it's the best thing to happen since Apple invented the computer, mobile phone and tablet...

 

Can not see Apple entering the open market with VR. If they do it you will be guarenteed to need a Apple device to use it.

They could easily get one manufactured cheaply using there manufacturing contracts. I remember the first Ipad on these forums people said it would cost north of £1000, It launched sub £400.

Competition is a good thing, Oculus and VIVE need it so the price drops for your average consumer to afford. As they will not pay its current prices.

If Apple or Samsung decide to make a full blown Desktop device ( samsung already has a mobile VR )they could easily beat Oculus and VIVE on Price and spec. Samsung could make the thing pretty much in house. Its alot different to going to manufacturing companies and asking for specific screens.

In 2 years you could have 4 Rivals for your VR Money. Samsung / Apple / VIVE / and Oculus, 2 of that 4 can afford to waste cash for market share. Fun times if it happens.

Can not see it myself.

 

Potentially 6 if you include Sony's VR and/or OSVR, Hololens at a push though that's AR more than VR [that and it just won't sell because MS]

 

More competition the better in my eyes. Will reduce prices that's always a good thing for VR as its current prices will stop it been a pick up and buy product which is what it needs to hit the big time.

 

I can see them making a GearVR variant (outboard IU in the case/optics assembly), or uprating the IMU and display in the next iPhone to the performance levels required for VR.
I can't see them making any sort of desktop (i.e. connected to a mac) VR HMD. Their entire mac line is massively underpowered for VR. Even a pimped-out dual-D700 Mac Pro is woefully underpowered for VR, and everything else is just embarrassing.

 

Not hard to sort out the gpus, by the time a product launches ( say a minimum of 6months from now )AMDs and Nvidias next gen will be out easily offering the performance levels required.

 

If Apple produce any VR kit that will be an amazing thing for the VR industry, but it's a real big IF. The more alternatives the better.

The PC VR solutions we nearly have (Rift, Vive) won't sell in any significant numbers because they are simply too reliant on being tied into a costly high end PC which most people don't have now and won't ever get. They'll always be at the bleeding edge, but PC solutions always are.

I think VR can only succeed in the mass market space in these ways:

1) An integrated solution (CPU, GPU & Display) as a free-roaming standalone solution. Apple could easily do this with some of their custom silicon, and that would only lead to Android based alternatives being available a year later at half the price. Everyone wins.

2) A display & tracking solution to partner with a fixed console. Sony are running this race alone at the moment, and as a 'It just works' solution, it could do very well. Ideally devices of this type will work tethered or wirelessly.

3) A tracking & control solution to partner with a high end smartphone. Samsung have gone this route, but there's no reason why Apple couldn't join them with a device to pair with a new high end device. Bump up the 6 Plus resolution to 4K and pair it with a lens shell that supports tracking of HTC vive quality and you have a device that will sell millions if it works as well as a Vive / Rift and the price is right.

I think (3) has the best chance of real mass market adoption as it can easily be the cheapest. With streaming tech it could also work as a VR display & controller setup with a console or PC.

 

You heard it here people! Apple did VR first!