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Apple's Next Big Thing: Augmented Reality (bloomberg.com)

Posted by msmash on from the shape-of-things-to-come dept.

Apple is beefing up its staff with acquisitions and some big hires to help design augmented reality glasses and iPhone features, according to Bloomberg. From a report: Apple is working on "digital spectacles" that could connect to an iPhone and beam content like movies and maps, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported on Monday. The Cupertino, Calif.- based company is also working on augmented reality features for the iPhone that are similar to Snapchat, Bloomberg said. To make its augmented reality push, Apple has acquired augmented reality start-ups FlyBy Media and Metaio, and hired major players from Amazon, Facebook's Oculus, Microsoft's HoloLens, and Dolby.

94 comments

  1. Meh by scunc · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I don't care what their plans are for augmented reality when their actual reality doesn't even support using a headphone jack.

  2. I knew it by 110010001000 · · Score: 2

    I knew the industry would abandon VR and focus on AR. VR will never work due to how it creates motion sickness in most people. Please note: I didn't say it creates motion sickness in the special snowflakes here on Slashdot, or any of the tons of people they know. I mean most people. So put down that pen and stop writing that angry letter to me.

    1. Re:I knew it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Please note: I didn't say it creates motion sickness in the special snowflakes here on Slashdot...

      Please note: An attack on Slashdot "snowflakes" based on exactly zero people complaining about exactly nothing makes you sound like an exact idiot.

    2. Re:I knew it by killfixx · · Score: 4, Insightful

      AR was always going to be the "Next Big Thing". VR is a fun, limited-use-case solution looking for a problem. AR keeps the user productive. AR keeps the user engaged in the world around him/her.

      --
      "Helping to keep you two steps ahead of the Thought Police!"
    3. Re:I knew it by RatBastard · · Score: 1

      My Vive doesn't give me motion sickness. My PlayStation VR is puke city in three minutes or less. :(

      --
      Boobies never hurt anyone. - Sherry Glaser.
    4. Re:I knew it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      LOL if you think Apple's actually doing AR.

      This is Apple investing in Google Glass. Remember that thing that Google did that failed miserably and that they gave up on years ago?

      Apple is going to do that now, with the exact same result.

      This isn't AR, this is a phone display in your glasses.

    5. Re: I knew it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Google Glass wasn't a failure dumbshit.
      It's literally going into production already.

    6. Re:I knew it by 110010001000 · · Score: 1

      Of course it doesn't.

    7. Re:I knew it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There you are! I thought you might have died, and I was a little worried. But I feel better knowing that you're back, and still insulting other people for no apparent reason whatsoever!

    8. Re:I knew it by mean+pun · · Score: 4, Insightful

      This is Apple investing in Google Glass. Remember that thing that Google did that failed miserably and that they gave up on years ago?

      Apple is going to do that now, with the exact same result.

      I've heard that one before about MP3 players, mobile phones, and tablets. All great examples of products where Apple was predicted to fail miserably, and failed miserably to fail miserably.

      Don't bet against Apple in cases like this. On technical grounds I am not convinced AR can be done well, but if someone can do it, it is Apple.

    9. Re: I knew it by HumanWiki · · Score: 1

      Google Glass wasn't a failure dumbshit.
      It's literally going into production already.

      So did the Samsung Note7 and look how that turned out.. Just because something goes in to production and even enters the market doesn't preclude it from being a failure.

      Google Glass was outright HATED by many.. To the point of people wearing them being physically assaulted, yelled out and called Glassholes.

    10. Re:I knew it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Clearly you've never read a Slashdot article about a movie with shaky cam...

    11. Re:I knew it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      VR can work just fine, and anyone posting intelligently on /. should be wary of using the word "never". There are ways to implement VR that are technologically leaps and bounds beyond what we're currently capable of, and there's no reason to assume that *every* implementation would create motion sickness. In fact, there's every reason to assume that "proper" implementations wouldn't, by the very nature of how they'd be done.

    12. Re: I knew it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No dumbass, GG is going into production again.
      You're so out of touch. Glassholes was just a smear campaign started by drunk people. Who cares what they think?
      Even with the smear GG was a success and is now being produced again.

    13. Re: I knew it by HumanWiki · · Score: 1

      No dumbass, GG is going into production again.
      You're so out of touch. Glassholes was just a smear campaign started by drunk people. Who cares what they think?
      Even with the smear GG was a success and is now being produced again.

      You seem to lack reading comprehension

      "So did the Samsung Note7 and look how that turned out.. Just because something goes in to production and even enters the market doesn't preclude it from being a failure."

    14. Re: I knew it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      More likely started by tech-hating apple worshippers.

    15. Re:I knew it by faedle · · Score: 1

      I've logged hours, in one sitting, on Cardboard-based and Oculus-based VR systems. Cardboard does have a bit of a lag on some phones (performance isn't that great on my Galaxy S4, for example), but on a Pixel it's just fine. And Oculus is pretty smooth as well in both its Samsung phone-based iteration and the stand-alone PC-based hardware. By in large the motion sickness problems have been solved by a combination of high refresh rates, very sensitive positional data, and "blurring on movement".

    16. Re:I knew it by faedle · · Score: 1

      You've obviously never seen a Pokemon GO or Ingress player fumbling through a crowded place eyes glued to their handset.

    17. Re:I knew it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Vive doesn't give me motion sickness but I usually get a headache from it a few hours later. The biggest problem with that system is the terrible jankiness of the sensor boxes (did you know they spin a motor 24x7 whenever plugged in and die pretty quickly?).

      Oculus is great except I can't focus my right eye in it. Which is weird because I find it overall to be much crisper looking than the Vive, which always looks a little soft.

      I think my problem is my glasses, in which the right lens is prismed, I think that fights with the optics in the Oculus.

    18. Re:I knew it by MachineShedFred · · Score: 1

      You can't fix stupid.

      --
      Slashdot still doesnâ(TM)t support Unicode after it was added to the HTML standard in 1997.
    19. Re:I knew it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, because Apple doesn't have any success at all picking up ideas that other companies failed at, and making whole markets out of them.

      Remember how there were crappy MP3 players before the iPod? Crappy smartphones before the iPhone, which also prompted a complete redesign of the still-developing Android? Crappy giant intel-based slabs called tablets before the iPad?

    20. Re:I knew it by chispito · · Score: 1

      AR was always going to be the "Next Big Thing". VR is a fun, limited-use-case solution looking for a problem. AR keeps the user productive. AR keeps the user engaged in the world around him/her.

      I would think the ultimate trend will be convergence. AR glasses with a wide field of view, that can completely block out the environment if you wish.

      --
      The Daddy casts sleep on the Baby. The Baby resists!
    21. Re:I knew it by Dracolytch · · Score: 3, Interesting

      As a VR/AR researcher, I have to disagree. The two are similar technologies, but they have fundamentally different use cases. VR isn't "looking for a problem", the problems are all around. Any area where you want to do fully-immersive experiential training, for example (shock/trauma training on board a Navy vessel / Basic firearms training with any weapon and no risk of injury / cyber visualizations where traditional rules of distance don't always apply). In those cases, VR can often make more sense than AR (where sunlight, clutter, or room geometry may degrade the experience).

      Is AR a superset of VR? From a technical standpoint, you could make that claim, but from a design standpoint, that's like saying a heads-up display is a superset of a television. Maybe true, but they're not really used for the same things.

      The fact that AR is less likely to make someone motion sick is a great benefit to AR, but it also belies one of the underlying shortcomings as well: AR is not as fully as immersive as VR is right now (The degree of immersion in commodity hardware with a good room configuration is startling). It's unclear if AR ever will be, and if it is, will it just be because it blocks out the real-world?

      Consider this:
      If you're locally piloting a robot, AR is often more convenient because you can be aware of the robot in the context of your current surroundings. However, when remotely piloting a robot, it's often preferable to get the increased situational awareness from the robot's perspective.

      Humans can only pay attention to so many things. Ultimately, it comes down to the design and purpose of communication.

      --
      This sig has been enciphered with a one-time pad. It could say almost anything.
    22. Re:I knew it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      (did you know they spin a motor 24x7 whenever plugged in and die pretty quickly?)

      Can you provide some citation on where the motor dies quickly? Although I can't find the source it's been suggested their mtbf would be similar to a hdd motor. ie many years.

      Otherwise just turn on Bluetooth communications and set them to go to sleep when the Vive is turned off. The benefit for me for doing this is I can hear a high pitch whine coming from one of them when it's quiet.

    23. Re:I knew it by rtb61 · · Score: 2

      VR is troublesome in terms of head motions and screen motions but of course if you take the motion out and just go with a fixed view, is becomes the cheapest way to provide a massive screen in terms of viewer viewpoint. So glasses done properly at an optometrist to minimise size, no adjustable lenses, just user specific fit, it hugely expands the use of smart phones. Augmented reality is a part of that, low process, see through the glasses, high process, cameras mounted on the glasses that present an external view.

      Could you not imagine lying back in bed, glasses on watching what appears to be a 150" screen, with either really pleasant video https://www.youtube.com/watch?... (just the thing for you next augmented reality business meeting) or even fixed field of view gaming.

      --
      Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
    24. Re:I knew it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Err, hate to tell ya, "special snowflake", but motion sickness was caused by frame rates dropping below 90fps. I used to get motion sickness, but tried a mates Vive on a kick ass PC and it was amazing.
      Now go melt.

    25. Re:I knew it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      All of these products were released under Jobs. The current management will be content with a nearly working appliance that almost does what it should, and that's why they will not repeat the failing to fail miserably.

    26. Re:I knew it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But there are plenty of markets where Apple did fail miserably - enterprise/servers, TV, netbook competition (the air), to name a few.

      Apple's success rate is well below 50%, so betting against them is actually a pretty good bet, especially in the post Steve era where all innovation has been killed off by Mr Cook.

    27. Re:I knew it by mean+pun · · Score: 1

      But there are plenty of markets where Apple did fail miserably - enterprise/servers, TV, netbook competition (the air), to name a few.

      Servers I grant you; that just isn't Apple's strong point. TV was always presented as a hobby, and is not a market where anybody has done remarkably well. I don't see how you can describe the Air as a failure. Just about their entire laptop lineup has some Air DNA nowadays, and they are still doing pretty well in a shrinking market. No, the Air was not a netbook killer, but Apple never pretended it was, and netbooks did not need a killer.

      Apple's success rate is well below 50%, so betting against them is actually a pretty good bet, especially in the post Steve era where all innovation has been killed off by Mr Cook.

      Measuring success rates is a bit more complicated than just counting the products that failed and succeeded. More telling is: what significant new product markets did Apple miss after the Jobs era? The best example I can come up with is drones, but that is already pretty remote from Apple's core business. Ebooks perhaps, but that's also not a strong example. Possibly the interactive stuff Microsoft is coming up with nowadays. Apart from that I can't think of anything really significant.

      Therefore, to me AR is the first post-Jobs technology that Apple cannot afford to miss. At least they are working on it. Again, for technical reasons I have my doubts anyone can do this well, but since Apple seems to be determined to make a splash here, I am not betting against them.

  3. Display on glasses not AR or VR, mainly a display. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It isn't a question of if, but when. The natural next step is not having to get out your phone and instead just view things through glasses.
    However, you aren't really augmenting reality most of the time so it's not primarily AR, nor are you transporting yourself into a completely new reality so it is not VR.
    Instead, it's as we first imagined and just moving the display to our eyes and the biggest unknown is how you manage the input in the most efficient system given that you have know separated the display from touch and you can't easily see the input device. Yes, you can use eye tracking but I doubt that will be in a first release so we'll have some odd way to interact until that gets good and cheap enough. What are your opinions of what that new interface would be like. Are there any good web sites or discussion groups that are discussing what the new interface will be like once we are viewing apps on our glasses?

  4. Great... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...when are they gonna sue Google for stealing their ideas? I'm sure there was a version of Google Glasses with ROUND edges...

  5. MAGA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Making Apple Great Again*

    *Offer void where taxed or otherwise prohibited. No cash value. Not responsible for typographical errors. Some contents may have settled during shipping. Use caution when opening overhead bins. Tell your doctor if you've had a heart or kidney transplant. For novelty use only.

  6. Where is the diversity???? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If there is not diversity, Tim Cock is not interested in Augmented Reality. Virtual faggots, yupppi!

  7. Define "big thing" by Dunbal · · Score: 1

    Are we talking iphone 17% of global market share after 10 years of hype big thing, or the flop that is "Apple Watch" big thing?

    --
    Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
  8. Virtual reality à la Apple way by ruir · · Score: 1

    They took the headphone jack from the iPhone, next will be the home button, and the arrow of keys from the keyboards....
    What will be next, virtual reality without the graphics?
    Amazing...

  9. hello_reality.m by Kunedog · · Score: 1
    Here's the only reality I need Cook to worry about getting right:

    #import <Cocoa/Cocoa.h>

    int main(int argc, const char * argv[]) {

    NSDecimalNumber *oneish =
    [NSDecimalNumber decimalNumberWithString:@"1.1111111111111111111"];

    NSInteger two = 3 - [oneish intValue];
    NSInteger othertwo = 3 - [oneish integerValue];

    NSLog(@"2 + 2 = %ld", two + othertwo);

    return 0;

    }

  10. Let me get this right... by mindwhip · · Score: 2

    Apple's next big thing is basically a white walled garden rehash of Google's old things? (Google Glass/Phone VR)

    --
    [The Universe] has gone offline.
    1. Re:Let me get this right... by fluffernutter · · Score: 2

      Just wait until Apple heralds in the return of the headphone port. On that day the citizens will rejoice.

      --
      Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
    2. Re:Let me get this right... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Right, because Google was the first ones to bring that about...

      [rolling of eyes]

    3. Re:Let me get this right... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      2013: Google releases the Glass - Reception is 'frosty', including cases of outright hostility to the product.
      2018: Apple releases the iGlass - The world pisses itself like an excited dog.

  11. Explanation for non-programmers. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That comment probably doesn't make sense to anyone who isn't a programmer, so I'll try to explain it for you in simpler terms.

    It's supposed to be a joke.

    It's a play on the Star Trek: Deep Space 9 episode where Commander Pikard is abducted by Romulans and subjected to mental torture. They keep telling him that two plus two equals six, but he denies this. Each time he denies it they smack him around. Then Captain Data and his star ship get there just in time and teleport Commander Pikard out, just like happens in pretty much every sticky situation in that series.

    In this case 3 - 1.1111111111111111111 equals 2.99999999999999999. So if you think in terms of integers then 2.99999999999999999 is truncated to become 2 and so 2 + 2 = 4, but in this fellow's program 2.99999999999999999 + 2.99999999999999999 = 5.888888888888888 which is rounded up to 6. So it outputs "2 + 2 = 6", and then you're supposed to laugh because it's supposed to be funny, or something like that.

    1. Re:Explanation for non-programmers. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Captain Picard. Commander Data. Not Romulans; Cardassians. And it is lights, not numbers. Oh, and not Deep Space 9; this was TNG. There are FOUR lights.

    2. Re:Explanation for non-programmers. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Once again, no it doesn't.

      It looks like it is supposed to be a joke on 2+2=5 by adding 2.9 to 2.9 to get 5.8 and then truncating it in the output stream to show "2 + 2 = 5"

      What it actually does is make two integer variables, set them to 2, add them together, and report that 2+2=4

      (and once again, 3 - 1.11111111... is 1.8888888889, not 2.99999999)

    3. Re:Explanation for non-programmers. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      who cares you fucking dork.

    4. Re:Explanation for non-programmers. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      awesome troll is awesome.

    5. Re: Explanation for non-programmers. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      With that many errors it is obvious he/she was trying to make a point and/or trolling.

  12. Actual Actual Reality by SuperKendall · · Score: 1, Informative

    Headphone jack ships via adapter sold with every single iPhone7.

    if you don't know that by now... Apple Haters have to be the stupidest and most ignorant people on the planet.

    Just how stupid? Apparently this person thinks you need a headphone jack to connect Augmented Reality glasses.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    1. Re:Actual Actual Reality by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Seriously dude, Steve is dead. You can stop sucking him off.

    2. Re:Actual Actual Reality by fabriciom · · Score: 2

      Apple has transformed from a market leader to a follower or as Steve just to say toner heads. I think this is why so many people are disappointed.

    3. Re:Actual Actual Reality by R3d+M3rcury · · Score: 1

      Headphone jack ships via adapter sold with every single iPhone7.

      And they make the coolest adapters...

    4. Re:Actual Actual Reality by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      yeah, note 7 was da bomb...

    5. Re: Actual Actual Reality by cyber-vandal · · Score: 1

      How do you plug it into an Aux port and keep it charged at the same time without spending even more money for an easily lost adapter?

    6. Re:Actual Actual Reality by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Just how stupid? Apparently this person thinks you need a headphone jack to connect Augmented Reality glasses.

      No one said that, you're just putting words in scunc's mouth in order to try and discredit his point. In reality you just come off as a tool, which isn't really surprising given your defense of Apple's decision to remove the headphone jack so they can make a slimmer phone. Some day soon, they may even achieve your dream of making a phone small enough to jam up your urethra.

    7. Re:Actual Actual Reality by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Welcome to the post-apple world. Deal with it.

    8. Re: Actual Actual Reality by Plumpaquatsch · · Score: 1

      H9w the hell do you "easily lose" a dock? Do you also lose your car all the time?

      --
      Of course news about a fake are Fake News.
    9. Re: Actual Actual Reality by cyber-vandal · · Score: 1

      A dock? Why should I have to buy that or an adapter which is what I was talking about? I'm going to save my money by keeping my 6s for a few years. Maybe Apple will have pulled their heads out of their arses and added the socket back by the time I need to replace it. If not then it's back to Android.

    10. Re: Actual Actual Reality by Plumpaquatsch · · Score: 1

      IOW you do lose your car on a regular basis. Thanks for the confirmation.

      --
      Of course news about a fake are Fake News.
    11. Re: Actual Actual Reality by cyber-vandal · · Score: 1

      What the fuck are you talking about? Of course I don't lose my car. Exactly how big is this unnecessary dock and what advantage would owning it and an iPhone 7 give me over owning a 6s with a headphone jack? You fucking fanbois are insane. If Apple made a phone you had to stick up your arse to use, you'd be first in line for the fucking lube and you'd be all over the internet shitting on people for objecting.

  13. Amazing invention by Apple! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Take my money now - I'll pay ANY price!

  14. Anything Like Alternative Facts? by lbmouse · · Score: 1

    Apple could hire that burnt-out bar tart Kellyanne Conway to run the program.

    1. Re: Anything Like Alternative Facts? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Or Michelle Obama's penis

  15. Re:Comey to Congress: TRUMP DID IT! by jfdavis668 · · Score: 3, Funny

    We should never have let the Cubs win the World Series. The world has gone downhill ever since.

  16. I've said it once and I'll say it again by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 1

    The first company to bring anime-style virtual waifus to nerds will dominate the market.

    Bonus points if you establish partnerships with companies to license already-existing characters.

    --
    #DeleteFacebook
    1. Re:I've said it once and I'll say it again by faedle · · Score: 1

      Check out some of the apps for Cardboard. They're coming.

    2. Re:I've said it once and I'll say it again by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If someone produces the sorceress from Dragon's Crown I might start to pay attention to this silly stuff.

  17. Apple by fluffernutter · · Score: 1

    I find it interesting that Apple's next big corporate direction may have been inspired by Pokemon Go.

    --
    Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
    1. Re:Apple by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sign of the times for apple.

  18. Wasn't it already here? by kiviQr · · Score: 1

    Apple lived for a while in a augmented reality!

    1. Re:Wasn't it already here? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The RDF is still fully charged.

  19. With What? by RatBastard · · Score: 1

    AR with what? Phones? Maybe. Their desktops? Please. The GPUs in their desktops are garbage. Even the ones in the Mac Pros. I was a Mac user for ten years (sold my 2012 Mac Pro last month) and I I have always been disappointed by their choice of graphics chips.

    --
    Boobies never hurt anyone. - Sherry Glaser.
    1. Re:With What? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      With Metal!

      You know, their amazing graphics API that offers Console Level Graphics on ... I guess desktops, because that's a totally new thing that's never been done before! Really! Pay no attention to literally every single Apple keynote where they announce "Console Level Graphics" as if that's either A) an actual thing or B) something anyone cares about even if it were a thing.

      OK, so the Console Level Graphics thing is for iDevices and not the desktop, but in the desktop/laptop space, Apple seems to have decided the problem is OpenGL and not the fact that they insist on either using integrated graphics devices or old, underpowered GPUs.

      So the answer is totally going to be Metal, the API that no one bothers to support because Apple isn't a large enough market to care about anymore.

  20. Not small enough to be "fashionable" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Or for the foreseeable future. Until you can get the whole package done into something the size of a pair of Ray-ban sunglasses even the most die-hard Apple hipster isn't going to touch it. AR has a lot of uses now, for example mechanics have parts labeled, torque specs listed, etc. but they're not going to have a consumer following until it doesn't require walking around with a chunk of hardware on your head.

  21. Another Apple gimmick by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm sure many Apple flock with pluck down weeks of paychecks to buy another iPhone but I won't be one of them. Why not just replace the screen and use telepathy? I'm sure Apple obsession with eliminating buttons, jacks, and anything useful will eventually involve replacing the screen. Well Apple has to pay for its new space ship corporate offices so I guess the iPhone is the only way to do it.

  22. Apple enough to be "fashionable" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Small? Inconspicuous? Fuck that - if you're going to drop a grand on Apple Glass (excuse me, iSpecs) you want people to know you're wearing two weeks of middle-class take home pay on your face.

  23. You mean they're becoming news media? by TodoRojo · · Score: 1

    I thought there was already a plentiful supply of augmented reality.

  24. iSpect-hol by 8282now · · Score: 1

    No innovation left uncopied.

    Surprised they're not already calling it "iGlass" ! may be "iSpectacle"?

  25. Apple's new slogan by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Apple's new slogan: "ME TOO"

  26. Wrong again AC by SuperKendall · · Score: 1

    This is Apple investing in Google Glass. Remember that thing that Google did that failed miserably and that they gave up on years ago?

    I do. Do you? Apparently not, because Glass was not AR. It was a floating display without relation to the real world, nor any possibility of such because it lacked any kind of sensors to do so. From the article, it is apparent that what Apple is doing is way more Hololens (actual AR) than Glass.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    1. Re:Wrong again AC by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So instead of copying Google they plan on copying Microsoft. Got it.

    2. Re:Wrong again AC by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And which part of "beaming content - movies, maps, and more" convinced you that Apple Glass would be any different to Google's? There's zero mention in TFA of tracking sensors.

      This is just Tim hunting desperately for a way to stay relevant, after giving up on TVs, AI, and cars.

  27. Success is not a flop... by SuperKendall · · Score: 1

    or the flop that is "Apple Watch" big thing?

    Apple is second only to Rolex in sales.

    So even that is not a "flop".

    It's actually a much bigger thing than you are giving it credit for. Yet another person blindsided by Apple's approach to incremental success; in just a year or two even people such as yourself will be unable to ignore the obvious success Apple is having.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    1. Re:Success is not a flop... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Did you even read the article? Or just got wet reading the title.
      "But the slide is undoubtedly misleading. Few would be surprised to see that the largest tech company in the world would do reasonably well with a release in a new product category. But Apple selling a watch is much like McDonald’s deciding it’s going to start selling sushi. Sure, McDonald’s would likely become the single largest proprietor of sushi in terms of revenue, but it won’t appeal to those who know what real sushi is"

      Its a toy.

    2. Re:Success is not a flop... by Dunbal · · Score: 2

      You can't argue with fanbois any more than you can with religious fanatics.

      --
      Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
  28. better than SCO vs THE WORLD by Thud457 · · Score: 1

    can't wait to see them tangle with MomCorp in court over the naming rights!

    --

    the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

  29. Can't do VR by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Well they're going to have to do AR because they don't have GFX cards suitable for VR.

  30. LOL by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    is apple even trying any more?

  31. show me by Hevel-Varik · · Score: 1, Insightful

    This news would have been really interesting were Jobs at the helm because he'd established a track record for nearly perfect execution and you could bank on that the final product would be polished. Apple has done nothing in the Cook era to suggest that we can rely on that any more. That said it would be nice if Apple put out something novel.

    1. Re:show me by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      track record of perfect execution? WTF? Apple fanboys never cease to amaze me with their ability to gloss over the shit ton of product failures that Jobs presided over.

    2. Re:show me by Hevel-Varik · · Score: 1

      I'm no apple fan boy. The ipod, the iphone and the ipad were instant market owner products that did nothing that wasn't done before by others. They just executed better. Nobody's perfect but they nailed the 3 most important consumer electronics devices in modern history. If that isn't textbook execution, then the term has no meaning. I've never owned any the above mentioned devices, and I had a cheepo mac book pro that I got refurbished from apple because I figured getting a used machine from them would be good value. I don't use it anymore because I can't stand the desktop environment. But credit where its it do. They because one the 'big' 3 or 4 or whatever on the back of their execution. Nothing to do with fanboyism.

  32. AR: Next term to be misrepresented? by JustNiz · · Score: 1

    Remember TVs labelled as HD-compatible even though they had displays with native resolutions of 720x600?....or gyroscopically stabilized wheeled boards being misadvertised as "hoverboards" even though they can't actually hover at all?.
    Next up will be the abuse of the term "Augmented Reality" to mean the display of anything/everything on a transparent HMD (such as notice of incoming texts etc), even though it has absolutely no relevance to your current physical environment.

  33. True Apple innovation at work by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I see Apple is hard at work innovating and are going to come out with their own version of Google Glass.

  34. Apple's next big thing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Well, they're welcome to jump on the bandwagon.

    While no real consumer-grade products are on the market, competitors have put considerable time and effort into developing the solutions. Why would Apple be more successful or faster to market, especially with Apples rather lackluster R&D performance lately?

    Google has been on this quite publicly (prototypes or dev variants for sale) for 3 years, Microsoft for over a year. We should not discount Facebook here either, Oculus has considerable potential for AR as well as VR and that focus can change very quickly.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Glass
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_HoloLens