Disagreement at Apple: top executives divided over Apple Reality

The Apple Reality is closer than ever: on June 5, the revolutionary glasses will finally be announced. But not everyone at Apple is equally enthusiastic about the headset…

Apple Reality

We’ve been looking forward to it for years, but during WWDC 2023 it will finally happen: Apple will announce Apple Reality, its first mixed reality headset. This is the first major new Apple product since 2014’s Apple Watch, and expectations are naturally high as a result.

But not everyone within Apple is equally enthusiastic about the smart glasses. This becomes clear in a long article by Apple analyst Mark Gurman, who paints a picture of how the glasses came about based on anonymous interviews with Apple employees.

Apple executives divided

The article features some big names, including Jony Ive (former head of design), Craig Federighi (VP of Software Engineering), and Johny Srouji (VP of Hardware Technologies).

Federighi, who we know all too well from Apple events, is “wary” of the headset, according to Gurman. And Srouji, who is responsible for the chip that should power the Apple Reality, has warned internally that the company should focus on chips for iPhones. According to Srouji, this generates more turnover.

Design battle

Designer Jony Ive has not been part of Apple for years, but is still regularly called in as an advisor. The same goes for Apple Reality. He would have dug in his heels against Chief Technology Officer Mike Rockwell.

Rockwell wanted to build a headset where most of the hardware would be in an external box – think of the Mac mini. This way the glasses remained light, and at the same time there was enough power for photorealistic images. However, Ive didn’t like that: the device had to be mobile, even if that made the software graphically less impressive. And so it happened, because Ive got the top of Apple with him.

Apple Reality: make or break

Anyway, there is now a product, and it will be announced on June 5 at 7:00 PM during a pre-recorded presentation. According to Gurman, it will be a make-or-break case: it can portray Cook as a good successor to Steve Jobs, or as the man who led Apple to a flop.

In any case, we will follow developments closely. Would you like to read up on Apple Reality? Take a look at our Apple Reality dossier! And do you want to stay informed of the news? Subscribe then to our weekly newsletter:

Source: Bloomberg and Marcus Kane