Report: Tim Cook overruled Apple design team’s request to delay XR headset
Monday morning feels are made even more intense when *Reports: Tim Cook overruled Apple design team’s request to delay XR headset* crosses your Twitter feed. In case you somehow haven’t been following the saga, Apple is apparently working on an AR/VR headset that will be able to display both virtual *and* real-world objects. The headset is rumored to be released as early as this June, but according to a new report from Bloomberg, it sounds like the device may not be ready for prime time just yet.
The report says that the headset, which is codenamed N421, has been plagued by development delays and internal strife within Apple. The team working on the headset is said to be “under immense pressure to ship” it by June, but that may not be realistic given the current state of the device.
According to the report, the headset is “heavy, slow, and uncomfortable,” and the team has been struggling to get the battery life up to 4 hours, which is the minimum required for a “good” AR/VR experience. The design of the headset is also said to be “unsettling,” with large areas that sit close to the wearer’s face.
All of this is to say that, if the report is accurate, it sounds like the headset is far from ready for mass consumption. And yet, it seems like Apple is planning to push it out the door anyway.
Bloomberg’s sources say that the decision to release the headset despite its shortcomings was made by Tim Cook himself. The report says that the design team had requested a delay in the release in order to make improvements, but Cook overruled them and said that the device needed to be shipped by June.
This is all just rumor and speculation at this point, but it’s not hard to believe that Cook would make a decision like this. He’s been pushing Apple harder and harder into new product categories in recent years, and he’s shown a willingness to release products before they’re truly ready (see: the original Apple Watch).
So, it’s looking like we may see an Apple AR/VR headset sooner than we thought. But if the reports are accurate, it sounds like it’s going to be a less than stellar experience.
