Apple's AR/VR headset sounds mental!

May 20, 2022

Most of Apple's major products go through development hell.

Just before launching Apple's first retail stores, Steve Jobs was convinced to rip up the plans and start over.

He was pissed, but he said to a colleague: "You reminded me of a really important lesson. Everything great I've done, I've had to have the courage at some point in the process to start over and rethink it."

And so it is with Apple's upcoming AR/VR headset, which could be unveiled as soon as WWDC on June 6 -- just weeks away.

According to The Information, the AR/VR headset has gone through several rethinks and redesigns.

In the end, the design team rejected the type of gaming-focused headset some rivals produced. Instead, Apple pushed for more of a communications tool that's bristling with inward-pointing cameras to beam your facial expressions into the metaverse.

It sounds as wacky as a stargazy pie -- and I'm more excited than ever to see it.

-- Leander Kahney, EIC.

The long-rumored device also won’t emphasize helping designers create VR and AR content, according to a trove of information leaking out about the headset. Much of Apple's development effort seems to have gone into making a communication tool.

Despite supply chain issues that are slowing production of other hardware, a respected analyst remains bullish on Apple, saying its stock price should be much higher than it currently is.

With its $199.99 LinkBuds S, the consumer electronics giant appears to be going for “Goldilocks” buds that pair active noise cancellation with comfortable long-term wear.

Users will see summaries of blocked trackers for specific websites or certain periods of time, not unlike what Safari’s Privacy Report delivers.

Twelve South’s updated ActionSleeve 2 is made to wear other places on your body rather than just your wrist. You can put it anywhere on your arm. And it’s a good deal right now in the Cult of Mac Store.

Apple’s latest earbuds drop to just $149.99 on Amazon — a sweet $29.01 discount from the retail price of $179. This is the lowest price for AirPods 3 in the last month.

MacBooks with an Apple M1 processor can handle only one external monitor, but this dongle from OWC doubles that number. And Mac mini users can connect to three monitors with it. I put the adapter through a round of testing to be sure it lived up to its promises.

The new time-hopping show about a group of friends who reminisce about youthful indiscretions as new mysteries present themselves is a noirish riff on The Big Chill and Stephen King’s It. The bilingual series showcases a great cast doing ruthless character work. With so much talent on board, it’s easy to fall into Now and Then’s lithe setting, sexy milieu and casual backstabbing.

Peter Griffin jumps in a go-kart and races Hank Hill. Or Stan Smith takes on Dale Gribble. These matchups are all part of Warped Kart Racers, a wacky racing game that launched Friday on Apple Arcade. Up to eight players can race at once!

Las Vegas-based pianist, composer and educator Travis Lohmann uses an intriguing setup that hearkens back to yesteryear but still gets the job done in the here and now. It’s not every day you see a 9-year-old Mac Pro and an even older 30-inch Cinema Display getting the job done in 2022, but it happens.

Tweet o' the day

One more thing ...

"I have a great respect for incremental improvement, and I've done that sort of thing in my life, but I've always been attracted to the more revolutionary changes. I don't know why. Because they're harder. They're much more stressful emotionally. And you usually go through a period where everybody tells you that you've completely failed." -- Steve Jobs

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