There was the Mac. There was the iPhone. Will there be the helmet? This Monday, June 5, the Tech world points its finger at Cupertino. The Californian city hosts Apple’s annual conference this afternoon starting at 7:00 p.m. (Paris time). It is in the heart of Apple Park where the manufacturer will hold its WWDC, with the key to a possible presentation of mixed reality headsets.
If the announcement is not yet official, the object, which promises to pave the way for both virtual reality and augmented reality, is the subject of all expectations. It would be the brand’s first new product in nine years. The Apple helmet would thus follow the Apple Watch presented in September 2014 and calmly marketed in April 2015.
A product full of challenges
There was the HomePod in 2018, but the connected speaker failed to occupy a prominent place in the brand’s catalog. Apart from the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac, the manufacturer’s mixed reality headset could thus become the fifth flagship of the manufacturer.
Above all, Apple would be entering a new market with its new product. A first in a long time. Because if the Apple Watch is the last important device to date, it continues to be an extension of the iPhone by adding specific applications in the field of health. However, launching a helmet requires the company to step out of its comfort zone and build an ecosystem around its new product.
That is why the presentation must be made at WWDC. This conference is mainly aimed at developers working around the world on specific applications of the brand’s products. A discipline in which the French stand out according to Susan Prescott, in charge of relations with developers.
In addition, one of Apple’s challenges will be to maintain its innovation. Others have tried without success. Main failure in the field: Facebook and its metaverse. Presented in the summer of 2021, the new activity starring Mark Zuckerberg did not convince. Less than two years after its launch to great fanfare, the metaverse is no longer a priority for the company, which now prefers to rely on artificial intelligence.
Tim Cook’s Legacy
Thus, Apple could become a benchmark in the field of virtual reality. You will have to reiterate the various feats that you have already operated in the past. This was the case as early as 1984 and the creation of his Macintosh, which established an ecosystem that competed with Windows computers. This also came true with the launch of the iPod, which changed the way consumers listen to music. But also with the iPhone that spawned the smartphone revolution.
Apple headphones could also be “the” flagship product launched by Tim Cook. The president of Apple had taken control of the company on October 4, on the eve of the death of Steve Jobs, the founder of the brand. If it already existed when the Apple Watch was launched, Tim Cook lacks a flagship product that links his image to strong innovation, as his predecessor did in particular with the iPhone.
In March, Apple’s president indicated that he wanted to make Apple headphones his legacy. While Tim Cook already plans to hand over the job to a new leader by the end of the decade, the opportunities for him to mark Apple’s history a bit more are shrinking. But the cards could be redistributed tonight. For this reason, the WWDC 23 conference, which will be followed live by Tech&Co, will be so analyzed.
Source: BFM TV
