Apple has faced a backlash following the launch of its Vision Pro headset, as some suggest it’s being bizarrely marketed to a “mythical audience.”
The tech giant was branded “ironic” just hours after CEO Tim Cook unveiled the £2,849 ($3,499) augmented reality (AR) headset at an event in California last night.
Cook described his product as “revolutionary,” while promotional videos outlined the possibilities for making any location a “perfect workspace” — including the home.
But some are questioning who the technology is really for, with irate Apple employees reportedly receiving dire warnings if they’re out of the office three days a week.
“Apple Vision Pro is dead on arrival,” one Twitter user wrote.
Apple unveiled its Vision Pro augmented reality headset yesterday at a launch in California
‘Who is this for anyway? They forced everyone back to the office, so who is this mythical person who works from home with $3500 lying around and who actually works in some production?
“If they had released this at the beginning of the pandemic, it would have stood a chance. Maybe. I just don’t see many people wanting to use this as their work device. And as far as the fun factor is concerned, I don’t see that either.’
Another added: “It’s funny that Apple is releasing a device to make working from home a more immersive experience, but asking their employees to return to the office. How can they then give the product dog food?’
The Vision Pro headset, which will go on sale next year, will “seamlessly” blend the “real world with the digital world.”
Cook claims the technology can be navigated using eye tracking in addition to hand and voice control.
This differs from Meta’s new $499 Quest 3, which currently lacks face and eye tracking features.
Yet the launch also comes after 200 Apple employees accused the company of forcing people back to the office.
Last year, Cook allegedly told his California-based colleagues to sit at their desks at least three days a week.
While he said this was caused by a 30 percent drop in productivity, staff claimed that was not the case at all.
Twitter users have criticized the tech giant for its own remote work rules in California, despite the headset being marketed for remote work
Tech boss Tim Cook announced the ‘revolutionary’ product yesterday, with promotional videos highlighting the ability to turn any location into the ‘perfect workspace’
Instead, they claimed it was driven by the “company’s fear” of the future of work, fear of employee autonomy [and] fear of losing control’.
They also added that the Apple personal model is “younger, whiter, [and] more dominated by men’.
The group wrote, “It will lead to privileges to decide who can work for Apple, not who is the best fit.
“Privileges such as “being born in the right place so you don’t have to move”, or “being young enough to start a new life in a new city/country” or “having a partner who stays at home move with you “.
And privileges like being born into a gender that society doesn’t expect the most care work from, so it’s easy to disappear into an office all day, without doing a fair share of society’s unpaid work. Or be rich enough to pay others to do your care work for you.’
In March, a Twitter user claimed that Apple monitors the use of badges on scanners at its headquarters
Following Monday’s launch, many are wondering if Apple will now change its remote work policies
In March, a Twitter user also claimed that the company was monitoring employee badge usage on scanners at its headquarters.
“Apple is tracking employee attendance (via badge records) and will issue escalating alerts to employees if they don’t come 3 times a week,” the post read.
“At Apple, some organizations say non-compliance could lead to termination, but that doesn’t seem to be a company-wide policy.”
After yesterday’s launch, many have wondered if Apple will now change its remote work policies for employees to use the immersive technology at home.
One Twitter user said, “I want to see if Apple relaxes its return-to-office policy once its employees use Vision Pro.”
Another added, “Ah, the irony that Apple is marketing the Vision Pro as a superior tool for remote work as they call their employees back to the office.”
MailOnline has reached out to Apple for comment.