Apple Reportedly Demoed Mixed-Reality Headset to Executives in the Steve Jobs Theater Last Week

Apple showcased its mixed-reality headset to the company's top 100 executives in the Steve Jobs Theater last week, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

Steve Jobs Theater dusk
In the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman explained that the "momentous gathering" is a "key milestone" ahead of the headset's public announcement planned for June. The event was intended to rally Apple's top members of staff around the company's next major platform.

Senior Apple executives have apparently gotten a peek at the headset every year since 2018, but these demonstrations were discreet looks at the project's progress rather than showcases of the complete device. Situated at the Steve Jobs Theater, the latest preview was reportedly a far more significant event, being "polished, glitzy, and exciting."

While anticipation of the device's launch is growing inside Apple, Gurman added that the device is likely to launch with several potential issues:

Moreover, the device will start at around $3,000, lack a clear killer app, require an external battery that will need to be replaced every couple of hours and use a design that some testers have deemed uncomfortable. It's also likely to launch with limited media content.

As a result, Apple executives are said to be "striking a realistic tone within the company" with the understanding that "this isn't going to be a hit product right out of the gate," potentially following a similar trajectory as the Apple Watch instead.

The first version of the device "will look like a dud next to the company's existing products," Gurman believes, but it is still "likely to make Apple the market leader in mixed reality within a few months." Executives expect consumer interest to grow as subsequent iterations of the headset launch at lower price points in the future.

Related Roundup: Apple Vision Pro
Buyer's Guide: Vision Pro (Buy Now)
Related Forum: Apple Vision Pro

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Vertical Camera Feature

iPhone SE 4 Rumored to Use Same Rear Chassis as iPhone 16

Friday July 19, 2024 7:16 am PDT by
Apple will adopt the same rear chassis manufacturing process for the iPhone SE 4 that it is using for the upcoming standard iPhone 16, claims a new rumor coming out of China. According to the Weibo-based leaker "Fixed Focus Digital," the backplate manufacturing process for the iPhone SE 4 is "exactly the same" as the standard model in Apple's upcoming iPhone 16 lineup, which is expected to...
iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Series Is Just Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Monday July 15, 2024 4:44 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
iphone 14 lineup

Cellebrite Unable to Unlock iPhones on iOS 17.4 or Later, Leak Reveals

Thursday July 18, 2024 4:18 am PDT by
Israel-based mobile forensics company Cellebrite is unable to unlock iPhones running iOS 17.4 or later, according to leaked documents verified by 404 Media. The documents provide a rare glimpse into the capabilities of the company's mobile forensics tools and highlight the ongoing security improvements in Apple's latest devices. The leaked "Cellebrite iOS Support Matrix" obtained by 404 Media...
tinypod apple watch

TinyPod Turns Your Apple Watch Into an iPod

Wednesday July 17, 2024 3:18 pm PDT by
If you have an old Apple Watch and you're not sure what to do with it, a new product called TinyPod might be the answer. Priced at $79, the TinyPod is a silicone case with a built-in scroll wheel that houses the Apple Watch chassis. When an Apple Watch is placed inside the TinyPod, the click wheel on the case is able to be used to scroll through the Apple Watch interface. The feature works...
bsod

Crowdstrike Says Global IT Outage Impacting Windows PCs, But Mac and Linux Hosts Not Affected

Friday July 19, 2024 3:12 am PDT by
A widespread system failure is currently affecting numerous Windows devices globally, causing critical boot failures across various industries, including banks, rail networks, airlines, retailers, broadcasters, healthcare, and many more sectors. The issue, manifesting as a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), is preventing computers from starting up properly and forcing them into continuous recovery...
New MacBook Pros Launching Tomorrow With These 4 New Features 2

M5 MacBook Models to Use New Compact Camera Module in 2025

Wednesday July 17, 2024 2:58 am PDT by
Apple in 2025 will take on a new compact camera module (CCM) supplier for future MacBook models powered by its next-generation M5 chip, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Writing in his latest investor note on unny-opticals-2025-business-momentum-to-benefit-509819818c2a">Medium, Kuo said Apple will turn to Sunny Optical for the CCM in its M5 MacBooks. The Chinese optical lens company...
Apple Watch Series 9

2024 Apple Watch Lineup: Key Changes We're Expecting

Tuesday July 16, 2024 7:59 am PDT by
Apple is seemingly planning a rework of the Apple Watch lineup for 2024, according to a range of reports from over the past year. Here's everything we know so far. Apple is expected to continue to offer three different Apple Watch models in five casing sizes, but the various display sizes will allegedly grow by up to 12% and the casings will get taller. Based on all of the latest rumors,...

Top Rated Comments

StoneJack Avatar
17 months ago
3D TVs anyone?
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Cromulent Avatar
17 months ago
I'm interested to hear more about it, but I doubt I'd buy one.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
17 months ago
I have a feeling even Apple is tired of working on this product.

I will demand to buy this Apple Mixed Reality AR/VR Headset and then demand to return it.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gleepskip Avatar
17 months ago
There's an order of magnitude price difference between Apple Watch and the rumored price of this product. I don't see how they will conform to a similar demand curve. Series 0 watches were impulse buys for some people at $350. Not many people will squander $3000 on a novelty product.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ProfessionalFan Avatar
17 months ago

'Adult content' is a thin niche market (I hope).
It isn't, it is a pretty big market. The old saying "Sex sells" is not a fake statement.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
prime17569 Avatar
17 months ago
My guess is that this will be like the first-gen Apple Watch: slow, underpowered, and no clear direction. If they market it correctly and developers get on board, then it will probably find its niche or killer app a couple years in. It'll probably take the Apple AR glasses to replace the iPhone.

I wonder what the Xcode simulators would look like for this device. If apps could be developed using the simulator (or using an iPhone's limited AR capabilities) then it would make it a lot easier for the ecosystem to grow despite the high price of the device.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)