I've had my own thoughts on what the long-rumored headset might be, and so far, the reports feel well-aligned to be just that. Apple acquired VR media-streaming company NextVR in 2020 and it bought AR headset lens-maker Akonia Holographics in 2018. In a lot of ways, a future Apple AR headset's logical flight path should be clear from just studying the pieces already laid out. I've worn more AR and VR headsets than I can even recall, and have been tracking the whole landscape for years. It's been debated how soon this hardware will emerge - this year, the year after or even later down the road - and whether Apple proceeds with just glasses, or with a mixed-reality VR and AR headset, too. Each year, Apple's made significant strides on iOS with its AR tools. VR is a more easily reachable goal in the short term.Īpple has been in the wings all this time without any headset at all, although the company's aspirations in AR have been clear and well-telegraphed on iPhones and iPads for years. Watch this: What Apple's expensive 8K VR headset could be like What's increasingly clear is that the rest of the AR and VR landscape is facing a slower-than-expected road to AR glasses, too. But recent reports seem to be settling down to tell the story of a particular type of advanced VR product leading the way. Previous reports on Apple's AR/VR roadmap suggested internal disagreements, or a split strategy that could mean a VR headset first, and more normal-looking augmented reality smart glasses later. Much like the Quest Pro, this will likely be a bridge to future AR glasses efforts. The Information reported on these possibilities back in 2021, and it's to be expected, considering the Quest Pro costs $1,500 and AR headsets like the Magic Leap 2 and HoloLens 2 are around $3,000.Īpple's headset seems to line right up with how VR is evolving: lighter weight, with added mixed-reality features via more advanced pass-through cameras. The headset could be expensive, maybe as much as $3,000 or more, with its Sony-made high-res displays, eye tracking and cameras that can scan the world and blend AR and VR together. Read more: The Metaverse Is Just Getting Started: Here's What You Need to Know Gurman's reports also point to the AirPods Max as a hint of what the design feel will be like. However, it's larger than a normal pair of glasses, with early renders of its possible design looking a lot more like futuristic ski goggles. That's lighter than Meta's Oculus Quest 2. The device could be relatively lightweight, about 300 to 400 grams (roughly 10.5 to 14 ounces), according to Kuo. The company's " goal is to replace the iPhone with AR in 10 years," Kuo explained in a note to investors, seen by MacRumors. The level of realism could scale depending on the number of people in a call.Įventually, Apple's plans for this headset could become larger. In terms of communication, Gurman believes FaceTime using the rumored headset could also rely on Memoji and SharePlay: Instead of seeing the person you're talking to, you'd see a 3D version of their personalized Memoji avatar. Gurman suggests a focus on gaming, media and communication on this initial first-wave headset, and in particular on immersive VR video. The report also points to the headset doubling as a connected display for Macs (current VR headsets can also do this), enabling more realistic avatar chat for one-on-one FaceTime calls, and having a separate battery pack attached by a cable to the headset. Apple's been building more advanced AR tools into its iPhones and iPads for years, setting the stage for something more. Reports have been going around for several years, including a story broken by former CNET Managing Editor Shara Tibken in 2018. The headset has been cooking for a long while. But it does indicate that Apple's moving forward on a product and software, for sure. No one really expected the Apple Watch's name (remember iWatch?), so to some degree, names don't matter at this point. Apple's existing AR software framework for iOS is named RealityKit, and previous reports suggested that " Reality OS" could be the name for the new headset's ecosystem. Recent trademark filings reported by Bloomberg showed the name "Reality" showing up a lot: Reality One, Reality Pro and Reality Processor. Gurman suggests the operating system for this headset could be called "xrOS," but that may not indicate the name of the headset itself. Is its name Reality Pro? Is the software called xrOS?
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |