Apple shows AR/VR headset to its board in sign of progress on project – AdAge.com

The group is staffed with former hardware and software engineering leaders for the iPhone, iPad and Mac, in addition to key hires from NASA and industries spanning gaming, graphics and audio. But the division has suffered departures of some key engineers to Meta and other companies in recent months.

The team developing the device works from offices in Sunnyvale, California, a few miles from the companys Cupertino headquarters, Bloomberg has reported. The device has faced several challenges during development, such as finding compelling applications and content. Technical hurdles also included overheating and refining the devices on-board cameras.

The company has been working on AR versions of its core iPhone apps for the headset, as well as new apps that will handle tasks such as streaming immersive content and holding virtual meetings.

Apples headset was originally planned for an unveiling in 2019, with a release coming in 2020, Bloomberg reported at the time. Apple later aimed to announce it in 2021 before a release in 2022, only to delay those plans again into later in 2022 or 2023.

During its development, the device faced pushback from former chief designer Jony Ive, who didnt believe Apple should release a headset that would take people out of the real world. Ive, who left Apple in 2019, preferred the concept of augmented reality-only glasses, but that product wasnt going to be ready until much later.

Ive also spurned a plan for the headset to have both a stand-alone mode and an option that would make the device more powerful when wirelessly paired to a processing hub in the wearers home. That plan was nixed, and current versions of the device are stand-alone only. They include a more powerful variation of the M1 chip that appears in the companys latest laptops.

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Apple shows AR/VR headset to its board in sign of progress on project - AdAge.com