Apple headset said to be hampered by Cook's 'distant' approach, exec skepticism
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Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) is widely expected to unveil its mixed reality headset at its developer conference next month, but a new report said the project has been negatively impacted by a lack of interest from key executives at times, including CEO Tim Cook.
Cook, who has repeatedly praised augmented reality technology, was reported to have a "relative noninvolvement" in the project, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
The news outlet added that Cook, who has hands off at times with the headset, initially wanted the device to be more portable than the final product may wind up being. Cook's vision seemed more in tune with former Apple executive and chief design officer Jony Ive, who left the company in 2019.
Apple's (AAPL) stand-alone glasses are now expected to be at least four years away, Bloomberg added.
The headset, which has cost more than $1B per year in research and development costs, has also dealt with skepticism from key executives Craig Federighi and Johny Srouji, who lead up the company's software and hardware technologies, the news outlet reported.
Apple (AAPL) did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Seeking Alpha.
Bloomberg's story follows comments from TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Ku earlier this week, who said the tech giant is "well prepared" for the announcement.
Pricing for the device, which is expected to incorporate both virtual and augmented reality, has not yet been revealed, but industry watchers expect the headset to cost around $3,000.
Apple (AAPL) shares were fractionally higher in early morning trading on Thursday.
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