Apple: this is how the brand’s future mixed reality headset should work


Alexander Schmid

January 24, 2023 at 7:45 p.m.

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Apple AR VR © © 9to5mac

© 9to5Mac

Price, release window, business strategy, display, VR and AR features… We know more about Apple’s mixed reality headset.

We’ve been talking about it for years, and Apple would finally be ready to formalize its mixed reality headset, that is to say combining augmented reality and virtual reality features.

Finally a “revolution” at Apple?

Renowned journalist Mark Gurman has published a new report about him on Bloomberg. According to him, the device will be called Reality Pro and will be sold around 3,000 dollars. The trend would be for a presentation in the spring, which would give Apple time to communicate on the product in more detail afterwards, and in particular during its June WWDC conference dedicated to developers. The commercialization would take place later in the year, potentially at the start of the school year with the iPhone 15 series.

This is an important turning point for Apple, which will launch a major new product category for the first time since 2015 and the Apple Watch. The Cupertino company has invested heavily in this project, which required the participation of more than 1,000 people and which was launched more than 7 years ago. By diversifying in this way, she wants to secure a new source of income. Mac and iPhone sales could very well dry up over the next few years, and Apple remains dependent on the health of its mobile branch.

However, and despite a high price, the brand does not plan to make a margin on the first generation of its mixed reality headset. The objective is above all to democratize this technology in order to impose the platform on the long term. The American group plans to sell 1 million units of the Reality Pro in the first year of its launch.

Mass production is expected to begin as early as February in China, and the device may be a US exclusive at first. Apple is also said to be developing a cheaper version, aiming for a $1,500 price tag. But this would not see the light of day before the end of 2024 or the beginning of 2025.

As impressive in VR as in AR?

We also know more about how the Reality Pro will work. In Apple’s vision, the headset should offer a new approach to virtual meetings (with advanced FaceTime-based video conferencing and meeting rooms) and immersive video. Of course, the product will integrate perfectly into its ecosystem. It can be used as an external screen when connected to a Mac and will be able to reproduce many of the features available on iPhone and iPad.

One of the main selling points of the device will be its eye and hand tracking feature. To achieve such a feat, the helmet will be equipped with several external cameras and sensors in its housing. The user will thus be able to navigate through the interface by looking. To select an application, for example, simply lay your eyes on it, then make a simple gesture with your thumb and index finger. So there is no physical controller like a gamepad.

The device features two ultra-high resolution screens, designed in partnership with Sony. In virtual reality mode, the user only sees the content displayed on the screens. In augmented reality mode, the real world is displayed on the screen, captured by the external cameras. AR content is then superimposed on this vision.

To switch from VR to AR, and vice versa, the helmet would be equipped with a digital crown, like what we already have on the Apple Watch to navigate the UI of the connected watch. Apple would have particularly worked on the animation of the activation of augmented reality to produce an impressive effect for the user. The company also plans to offer custom prescription lenses built into the case for prescription eyeglass wearers.

An immersive and realistic experience

Natively integrated into the headset, FaceTime will be able to realistically render a user’s face and entire body in virtual reality. The avatars thus created will be able to evolve in the same virtual room, but it is of course necessary that the two interlocutors are equipped with Reality Pro. Meetings with more than two people will be supported, but additional users will be displayed as an icon or Memoji, as the processing power required will not allow more realistic avatars to be displayed. Bloomberg insists that Apple is betting on realism here, so we shouldn’t have cartoon-designed avatars like with Meta’s headphones.

Finally, immersive video viewing promises good sensations. The apple brand has worked with many partners, including Disney and Dolby, to ensure the quality of the function. It should also be remembered that Apple acquired NextVR in 2020, a company specializing in VR sports content. Apple TV+ will be updated to work with the headset, and the Reality Pro would offer an option for users to make them feel like they’re watching a movie on a giant screen in another environment, in the desert or in space. , for example. To benefit from spatial audio, AirPods will be required, as the product’s speakers are limited.

The operating system, xrOS internally, but which could be renamed for the commercial release, is based on an interface close to that of iOS. It offers productivity features, and Apple has already released various tools, including ARKit, to encourage third-party developers to design applications, games and services that take advantage of the possibilities offered by the headset.

One of the black points of the device could be its autonomy, announced at around 2 hours on battery. The latter is external, connected to the helmet by cable and placed in the user’s pocket, which also raises questions about the comfort of the system.

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Source : Bloomberg



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