A Key Meeting with Apple's 'Top 100' Executive last week all but confirms that the company's new XR Headset is likely to be unveiled at WWDC23
According to Bloomberg sources, there was a momentous gathering last week in the Steve Jobs Theater, Apple’s biggest showcase site, suggesting that a public unveiling or their first-generation XR Headset is getting closer. The group, known as the Top 100, was there to watch presentations on Apple’s most important new product to come along in year.
The device was demonstrated for the group, marking a key milestone ahead of the headset’s public debut planned for WWDC23. It was an opportunity for the mixed-reality team to rally leaders around what could be the next major platform beyond the iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch.
Bloomberg surmises that executives have struck a realistic tone within the company. They understand that their XR Headset isn’t going to be a smash hit right out of the gate. Though expect it to possibly follow a similar trajectory as the reception for the Apple Watch which started off quite slowly with mediocre apps, a jumbled interface, a sluggish processor and an undefined purpose.
Yet over time, Apple improved the third-party app capabilities, simplified the operating system and added a faster processor. The product also found its role: It was a fitness tracker, health companion and an easy way to handle notifications. That clicked with consumers. In eight years, the Apple Watch went from a small portion of Apple’s business to a centerpiece of its strategy.
Whether the reception of the XR Headset before Apple's Top 100 executives was accurately portrayed or generally surmised by Bloomberg is unknown at this time. Though for now, you could read more about Mark Gurman's report here.
Of course we're hoping that Apple learned from the Apple Watch debut and prepared for their XR Headset with a grander vision and features to actually excite the Apple community to buy into their first-gen device right out of the gate while putting fear into Metaverse proponents who are already fearful that Apple will either crush the Metaverse or extract all its profits.
I'm hoping to see, at minimum, a cool Apple TV+ feature that will be hot so that customers could watch Apple TV+ series and movies in a theater-like view with surround sound for the home and on-the-go.
While I'm a little more hopeful for Apple's XR Headset debut than some, I clearly understand that it's Apple's nature to draw out features over time in an evolutionary fashion to build excitement for a device while giving their developers time to absorb and take advantage of their newly founded software tools and capabilities.
For now, the excitement is steadily building and WWDC23 will have all Apple fans and developers glued to that keynote and following sessions. With Gurman's report, we now know it's likely no longer theoretical but rather fact that Apple's XR Headset will finally be unveiled after years of discovering and writing patent reports and reading various market rumors.
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