As Apple’s WWDC 2023 approaches, rumors, leaks, and predictions are growing exponentially that the event will be headlined by the expected presentation of the augmented reality viewer those from Cupertino. And it’s not for less, because the truth is that we’ve been hearing about the company’s plans to jump into virtual reality and augmented reality for a few years now.

Moreover, in recent weeks, information has become popular that indicates this this is a particularly personal project for Tim CookIn addition, the CEO of the company, who sees in this device an opportunity to leave a legacy in the brand, will again surprise by introducing a completely new device, which has not happened since the company presented the Apple Watch in September 2014. , almost nine years ago, and its distribution began in a few months later, in April 2015 (although in Spain it was postponed until June of the same year).

This theory makes a lot of sense for the two points mentioned. Although Cook was already Apple’s CEO when the company’s smartwatch was introduced, it was a project that was started a few years ago, so it somehow had Steve Jobs’ signature on it, which is very honorable for the device, but wouldn’t allow Cook to put it on his own scoreboard. It must be hard, very hard to be the one to replace Jobs, and the pressure to try to leave a mark that, while not as big as the founder’s, is reasonably indelible, or at least permanent. .

Now, as the long-awaited announcement nears, there are voices (for now anonymous) within the company that don’t see it quite so clearly. As we can read in The New York Times, eight executives and employees (some still active in the company) caused several departures in the team dedicated to the augmented reality browser project. Some people were let go, but others chose to leave voluntarily. for having serious doubts about its true potential.

Other company executives are counting on interest in the mixed reality headset to grow as more versions come out, and have a lot of faith in a future “cheap” model. Let’s remember that the starting price of Apple’s headset is expected to be around $3,000while the economy version, which the company would already be working on, aims to be priced around $1,500, although it would not hit the market until two years after the debut of the first model.

Virtual reality as well as augmented reality are two markets that have never really taken off despite many attempts. It’s true that its adoption is growing, but it’s happening slowly and only in ecosystems where the software offering offsets the viewer acquisition costs. And in some cases not so much, and as a close example we can look at the Meta Quest Pro discount. Apple has its brand image working in its favor, but the big question is whether that will be enough.