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Former Apple XR manager Bertrand Nepveu, says Apple headset will be “Macintosh moment”

https://mixed-news.com/en/apple-headset-will-be-macintosh-moment/
Bertrand Nepveu worked on Apple’s Mixed Reality headset. He sees the company’s entry into the market as a critical piece of the metaverse puzzle.

Mixed reality headsets are touted as the next big step in the development of spatial computing. One of the first commercially available devices is the Meta Quest Pro. Apple has been working on a mixed reality headset for many years, according to numerous reports, which will be called “Apple Reality Pro” and could be released this year.

Will the Apple factor make the difference?​

Nepveu was employed by Apple between 2017 and 2021, according to his Linkedin profile. In an interview with the website Radio Canada, the mixed reality pioneer and Metaverse enthusiast talks about his time in California. About a thousand people were reportedly working on the headset at the time of his departure, says Nepveu, who now works as a tech investor.

He won’t reveal details about the device, but he expects Apple’s entry into the market to be a game-changer. “I always say that when Apple gets into virtual reality, it will be a Macintosh moment.”

The Macintosh came out in 1984 and cost about $2,500. He said the machine showed the potential of a computer for the creative industries. All creatives wanted it, despite the high price, Nepveu said. Apple’s mixed reality headset will reportedly cost between $2,000 and $3,000.

Nepveu bubbles with optimism​

Nepveu thinks Apple could succeed where others like Meta have failed. That remains to be seen. So far, the company has not even announced its product. But Nepveu is convinced that the device is the missing piece of the puzzle that will make the Metaverse a success. A term strongly associated with meta, and one that Apple itself deliberately avoids.

Nepveu is very optimistic about the future of VR and AR. He is convinced that in ten years everyone will own a headset. The device will become an extension of the person, just like the smartphone is today, says Nepveu.

Such statements sound as if they come from the hype year of 2016. Experience shows that the industry develops much more slowly. The question is whether and how much the Apple factor can accelerate it. Even Apple experts like Mark Gurman are skeptical that the upcoming headset will be a resounding success in its current form.

Apples previous head of XR development believes that Apples upcoming headset will be VR's "Macintosh moment" which is a very hyped sentiment that matches many other journalists, experts, and insiders who say that Apple will accelerate VR's acceptance into the mainstream despite it's price range of $1500-$3000 rumored. Mostly toward the latter recently.

Nepveu, who was in charge before leaving in 2021, believes that in ten years the VR device will be an extension of the person the same as the smartphone is today.

Now, while Apple based on the recent news/threads is going for a unique approach different from all other companies involved in VR, price and software is still an important factor to consider. Now that Samsung has also been revealed to be making a headset, and TCL is going for high-spec low cost strategy with its own hub to improve software, it's anybodys game right now. PSVR2 is launching within a week, and there are other competitors launching in 2023. That's a lot of competition.

However, Nepveu does have one thing other people reporting on the headset have, he's actually seen it, is aware of what it can do, and what Apples plan for it is. This makes me even more curious just how Apple will be approaching the VR market if what he saw had lead him to believe so strongly that Apple is prepping a game-changing product.
 

Kokoloko85

Member
Apple, Nintendo, Microsoft will all do VR eventually. Tech will get better and better. Cheaper and easier.
It will be used for many things like training, education, simulation, travel etc etc.

VR isn't motions controls lol
 

TonyK

Member
Nepveu, who was in charge before leaving in 2021, believes that in ten years the VR device will be an extension of the person the same as the smartphone is today.
Impossible, as you will only use the headset in house. It's totally different from a device you can use in any place and it fits in your pocket. Also, a lot, I mean, A LOT of people can't wear a headset for more than a few minutes. Even if the headset ends being only glasses, a lot of people will not want to wear it, as 3D glasses.

Personally, I think there is an inherent problem with this technology: a lot of people don't want to wear something over the face if it's not strictly necessary.
 

midnightAI

Member
This is going to be a standalone device right?


Apple phones work with PCs so I suspect this headset will as well. If not that's a huuuuge problem
I think this is going to be fully standalone, I dont think they want to wire it to anything (other than a battery if those rumours are true, still not sold about that idea at all), I think the AR part of it will be much more important to them than VR, I also dont see gaming as much of a focus at all also. We'll see I guess.
 

CrustyBritches

Gold Member
He won’t reveal details about the device, but he expects Apple’s entry into the market to be a game-changer. “I always say that when Apple gets into virtual reality, it will be a Macintosh moment.”
Kind of curious what Apple will be doing that already hasn't been done, or isn't already being developed. Just brand appeal doesn't mean much to me.
 

midnightAI

Member
With that price it’s going to be dead on arrival even if it’s the coolest thing ever.
I think its aimed more at business than consumers, 'Macintosh moment' to me was a business change, consumers didn't rush out to buy a Macintosh computer, now if he said 'iPhone moment' then that was aimed at consumers and people bought it in droves. I could be wrong though and reading too much into it.

Edit: actually, I dont think he's talking about how it will be for business or consumers, I think he is talking about the UI moment, Mac having the first 'Windows' like interface, how that translates to what he means in regards to AR/VR we'll see
 
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Apple, Nintendo, Microsoft will all do VR eventually. Tech will get better and better. Cheaper and easier.
It will be used for many things like training, education, simulation, travel etc etc.

VR isn't motions controls lol

Nintendo did do VR. It didn't take off as many people hyped it up as though.

Kind of curious what Apple will be doing that already hasn't been done, or isn't already being developed. Just brand appeal doesn't mean much to me.

Read these threads on how they are approaching the VR industry, much of it is a different approach than anyone else, time will tell if it actually works,

https://www.neogaf.com/threads/new-...cil-as-a-vr-game-controller-and-more.1652039/

https://www.neogaf.com/threads/report-apples-vr-headset-may-turn-you-into-the-controller.1650717/

https://www.neogaf.com/threads/appl...d-battery-120-degree-fov-video-calls.1649317/

https://www.neogaf.com/threads/gurm...between-2000-3000-m2-chip-10-cameras.1645397/

https://www.neogaf.com/threads/repo...artnering-with-megatron-for-assembly.1645113/
 

VAVA Mk2

Member
Sure Jan GIF
 

CrustyBritches

Gold Member
Nintendo did do VR. It didn't take off as many people hyped it up as though.



Read these threads on how they are approaching the VR industry, much of it is a different approach than anyone else, time will tell if it actually works,
The only thing I saw in there was outward display that shows emotions. Everything else is already being done or has already been demonstrated as a work in progress.
 
With that price it’s going to be dead on arrival even if it’s the coolest thing ever.

Why do you think Apple launched a Credit Card?

*wink wink
I think its aimed more at business than consumers,

Apple is aiming the headset toward consumers.

Will they pay $2000-$3000? Don't know.

The only thing I saw in there was outward display that shows emotions. Everything else is already being done or has already been demonstrated as a work in progress.

So Kinect motion controls, pencil controls, and gaze controls (not rendering) are all demonstrated or being done?
 
Apple, Nintendo, Microsoft will all do VR eventually. Tech will get better and better. Cheaper and easier.
It will be used for many things like training, education, simulation, travel etc etc.

VR isn't motions controls lol
Interesting thought.

I think AR is the tech to be investing in, because it better complements the real world. VR is attempting to remove and replace. I'm not convinced the mainstream wants complete escapism... yet. We still want to enjoy movies with friends and family sitting near by reacting in real time. Pokemon GO is a very flawed game, but drew a strong audience in to explore the real world to find them pokes, catch them, and exchange with another in the flesh and share experiences with real people in real time and not just avatars on twitter and gaf (some people met their wives with this game). I also feel the SciFi realm is more fascinated with Augmented Reality than it is with Virtual Reality.

We'll see. I'm not ready to make any calls on what our tech future holds, but I'm not sold that a VR breakthrough will be changing our lives in 10 years plus. I think the breakthroughs will happen elsewhere. But VR is not outside possibility. What better way for people unsatisfied with reality and their biological self to escape it than hook up their nerves and warp into a virtual realm in a body of their own making Sword Art Online style. But I think those folks are still a strong minority, though a very loud one at that, and probably poor too lacking flexible work skills.

I lack the vision to see VR as a training tool being where AR can't eclipse it. Who knows, I'm sure the distant future will surprise us all. We could be back to riding horses for all we know.
 
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Kokoloko85

Member
Interesting thought.

I think AR is the tech to be investing in, because it better complements the real world. VR is attempting to remove and replace. I'm not convinced the mainstream wants complete escapism... yet. We still want to enjoy movies with friends and family sitting near by reacting in real time. Pokemon GO is a very flawed game, but drew a strong audience in to explore the real world to find them pokes, catch them, and exchange with another in the flesh and share experiences with real people in real time and not just avatars on twitter and gaf. I also feel the SciFi realm is more fascinated with Augmented Reality than it is with Virtual Reality.

We'll see. I'm not ready to make any calls on what our tech future holds, but I'm not sold that a VR breakthrough will be changing our live in 10 years plus. I think the breakthroughs will happen elsewhere. But VR is not outside possibility. What better way for people unsatisfied with reality and their biological self to escape it than hook up their nerves and warp into a virtual realm in a body of their own making Sword Art Online style. But I think those folks are still a strong minority, though a very loud one at that, and probably poor too lacking flexible work skills.

I lack the vision to see VR as a training tool being where AR can't eclipse it. Who knows, I'm sure the distant future will surprise us all. We could be back to riding horses for all we know.

I feel the same about AR too. I need to check out the latest AR stuff.
I havent seen it fully immerse an odd shaped room/small room etc, something you can do on a train/plane small location/closed location /on your couch with a VR etc well in the future for sure and Ive probably not seen it lol.
Tech will get more and more interesting
 

midnightAI

Member
Interesting thought.

I think AR is the tech to be investing in, because it better complements the real world. VR is attempting to remove and replace. I'm not convinced the mainstream wants complete escapism... yet.
I think you are right there, AR is where its at for the mainstream, but that device needs to be the size (and weight) of regular glasses or near it, something that compliments our regular day to day lives like a mobile phone does and I think that is what Apple will work towards. I think even Microsoft had the right idea with hololens but the price was sky high and the technology was severely lacking. I actually think this will be something that we don't compare to other VR headsets on the market but may be trouble for other AR devices, we'll see though, I am only guessing here that its primary use/focus will be AR.

However, as a primarily gaming forum I think we (or at least I) are more excited for VR rather than AR as VR is better suited to (most types of) games.
 

Bojanglez

The Amiga Brotherhood
History has proven, whichever device/platform is embraced by the porn market will be the winner.
 

sendit

Member
All the VR naysayers, physical DVD/BluRay buyers, Playstation dedicated handled device aficionados, and 3.5 mm jack users are going to need some prescription based pain meds when this drops.
 
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History has proven, whichever device/platform is embraced by the porn market will be the winner.

Didn't help Video CD, or MovieCD, and while it has helped the Quest 1 and 2, they still aren't mainstream enough and are dying off.

When the movie industry starts putting out VR releases, that's when we will know we are there.
 

Buggy Loop

Member
I mean, Apple crowd might see it as a deal for $3k when you compare that they sold a monitor stand for $999, but it can’t be a breakthrough at that price realistically. Hopefully the tech is interesting and pushes the competition to adapt or include (at a lower cost)
 

mckmas8808

Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
I mean, Apple crowd might see it as a deal for $3k when you compare that they sold a monitor stand for $999, but it can’t be a breakthrough at that price realistically. Hopefully the tech is interesting and pushes the competition to adapt or include (at a lower cost)

No they won't! Plus can anybody tell me what's the last "NEW" thing Apple created since Steve Jobs has died that went on to become successful?
 

VN1X

Banned
VR will keep being a niche product until they lower the barrier to entry in both cost and hardware required.
 
Straw man argument (considering how many phones are sold each year). However, no flagship phone from any company is sold with a headphone jack.

There are quite a few flagship phones that have HJ.

Unless flagship to you is defined to mean only Samsung and Apple.
 

ergem

Member
I feel the same about AR too. I need to check out the latest AR stuff.
I havent seen it fully immerse an odd shaped room/small room etc, something you can do on a train/plane small location/closed location /on your couch with a VR etc well in the future for sure and Ive probably not seen it lol.
Tech will get more and more interesting

I imagine an AR with an intelligent AI as ironman’s. The device can see what you see and augment info to a normal-looking glass you’re wearing.
 
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