Tim Cook is reportedly itching to launch mixed-reality headset

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Apple’s upcoming “mixed-reality” headset is set to be revealed later this year as CEO Tim Cook pushed for the device against the company’s design team’s wishes.

According to a new Financial Times report, Cook has been instrumental in bringing the headset to consumers ahead of its proposed launch date. Apple’s design team, however, fears that the device is not ready for launch.

The report states that the design team aimed to delay the company’s AR glasses launch until a lightweight version becomes available. However, either version will likely be unavailable for a while.

Apple’s operations team has different plans

Both Cook and the current operations chief, Jeff Williams, want to ship a “version one” headset, which resembles ski goggles and can be used for immersive video, revamped FaceTime, and more.

Cook and Williams decided that the “version one” headset was the right path to take, despite the objections of the design team. This is what Apple will unveil sometime later this year.

Reportedly, Apple has been developing this headset for approximately seven years, which is twice as long as the development period for the original iPhone.

For Tim Cook, the headset is all about legacy, and it will be the first computing platform the company developed under Cook’s leadership.

The company is expected to sell only around a million headset units in its first year, states the FT report. Though with its expected $3,000 price tag, that’s still a pretty hefty revenue source.

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