--- title: "Apple Hoping People Will Wear Its Pricey VR Headset to Parties" description: "According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple suggested internally people would be wearing its upcoming mixed-reality headset to parties." date: "2023-05-20" modified: "2023-05-20" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/apple-vr-headset-parties" categories: - "Future Society" - "Virtual Reality" tags: - "apple" - "Mixed Reality" - "the digest" --- # Apple Hoping People Will Wear Its Pricey VR Headset to Parties ![According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple suggested internally people would be wearing its upcoming mixed-reality headset to parties.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Goggle Switch Next month, Apple is expected to finally show off its extremely expensive $3,000 mixed-reality headset to the world. Yet the device, which "resembles a pair of ski goggles and requires a separate battery pack," [according to *Bloomberg* columnist and Apple expert Mark Gurman](), couldn't be coming at a worse time. Interest in virtual reality headsets and the metaverse has waned significantly, with [appetite among hype-generating teens]() in particular bottoming out this year. Especially at its rumored price point, the device will likely be a tough sell. Worse yet, an internal presentation suggested that "people will wear the headsets to parties in the physical world, interacting with people through the external devices," according to *Bloomberg*. Needless to say, wearing a pair of oversized goggles attached to a chunky battery pack doesn't exactly sound like a compelling reason to dish out $3,000 — and even for those to do, it sounds more of a source of embarrassment than a status symbol at soirées. ## Greatest Flop The stakes are incredibly high, with former Apple marketing executive Michael Gartenberg telling *Bloomberg* that the device could end up being "one of the great tech flops of all time." "I suspect there’s a lot of internal pressure for the next big thing," he added. The company has been working on the device since at least 2015, with more than 1,000 engineers working on the project, costing Apple more than $1 billion each year. According to one of Gurman's sources, engineers on the project have joked that they were working on the project just to keep CEO Tim Cook happy. Execs have clearly struggled to come up with a suitable use case for the device. And Apple reportedly had to make a lot of compromises after initially hoping to shrink the technology down into a sleek fashion accessory. Previous leaks have also suggested it will have an [outward-facing display]() to mimic the facial expressions of its wearer, an intriguing design decision that may differentiate the product from competing offerings — but could make for an even more awkward experience at social gatherings. In short, while we still have plenty to learn about what Apple's device can actually do, what we've heard so far doesn't exactly instill confidence — especially when it comes to wearing reality-augmenting tech at parties. As Google [proved with its Google Glasses](), wearables designed for social settings are an incredibly difficult sell. It's a resource-hogging investment that could easily backfire on the company. **More on the device:** *[Apple VR Headset Will Apparently Have Display Facing Outward]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()