For the better part of a decade, many have speculated about Apple’s entry into virtual and augmented reality headsets. However, it rapidly looks like 2023 will be the year the firm announces and releases a product. The headgear is bound to be unveiled during the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference in June.
Although Apple has never publicly stated that it is developing the headgear, there have been several claims throughout the years regarding what shape it might take. For example, a recent and accurate rumor from the Financial Times indicated that the Apple AR/VR headset will be introduced this summer, most likely on June 5th at WWDC 2023.
According to the latest rumors, it will be dubbed the “Reality Pro,” and it will be a “Mixed Reality” gadget capable of combining virtual and augmented reality experiences. A digital crown-style dial will let users transition between AR and VR.
Update: Apple has introduced it’s vision pro on June 5 2022 and here’s what it looks like.
Is Apple Late to the Game When It Comes to VR?
Apple isn’t late to the game; in fact, Apple excels at entering the game at precisely the right time. They join a new market when it is enough for them to grab considerable market share by producing a product that does not have all the difficulties associated with first-generation launches.
Samsung’s ground-breaking foldable phones are a prime example. According to the Gartner hype cycle, Samsung released its foldable devices at the top of overblown expectations. That is not the time to enter a market. It nearly destroyed Apple in the 1990s when they released the Newton PDA. The gadget was much ahead of its time, incorporating technology that was not yet available (handwriting recognition, intelligent assistants, and so on).
Apple predominated in delivering goods immediately after the trough of disappointment when Steve Jobs brought Apple back to life with the Think Different campaign. That is the time to enter a market. They did this with the iPod, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. With these items, they secured a large portion of the market share in their respective categories — frequently dominating them for years — and, more crucially, practically all of the profit share.
They’ve gotten so skilled at this game that you might argue that Apple never enters a mature market. When Apple enters the market, it is already mature. AR/VR will be their next phase. The technology was and still is excessively awkward and bulky, with insufficient quality at reasonable pricing. This won’t be the case when Apple is expected to launch its AR/VR device.
You may also like: Apple Home Vs Alexa
What are the Pros of an Apple headset?
Primary Pros of Apple Headset
- Because it will use the latest M2 CPU and 16GB of RAM, the Apple Headset will require a lot of power. It is not the most powerful processor in Apple’s Silicon lineup. But it provides an excellent blend of power and energy efficiency.
- Regarding specifications, the headgear includes numerous CPUs, implying that Apple would not skimp on power. Similarly, the headgear will have two CPUs, with the main processor being the M2 chip released in 2022.
- The headset will feature Wi-Fi 6E, allowing it to connect to a different device and transport massive volumes of data with low latency. This implies that the headset may let a separate device, like an iPhone or Mac, handle the heavy lifting and beam it to the headset without a physical cord.
- By not performing all the computing in the headset, Apple could keep the weight down and the battery life far longer than it would have been otherwise.
- Apple will include iris scanning technology in the VR/AR headset. The headset will be able to verify the user as soon as they put it on, which will be useful in circumstances when using the same device. It can also authenticate purchases, like Face ID and Touch ID work on iOS devices.
Technical Features of Apple Headset
The Apple Reality Pro headset’s key feature is mixed reality. The headgear, according toMark Gurman, would have external cameras, which are presently testing functions such as hand-tracking and gesture control. One of its aspects is the ability to type in the air using a virtual keyboard.
Moreover, hand-tracking and gesture control might play a significant role in the headset’s rumored Continuity features, previewed in a recent patent filing. Continuity and Handoff, according to the patent application, will allow users to look at a speaker to transmit music, answer emails in mid-air, and more, all from the VR/AR headset.
Despite predictions that Apple will not prioritize games for its AR/VR headset, current sources indicate that gaming and entertainment will be two of the headgear’s primary functions. However, Gurman summarizes probable Apple Reality Pro features, including gaming, entertainment, and collaboration at the device’s center.
In addition, Apple appears to have created copies of its iOS applications for its headgear, which will work similarly to their iPad equivalents. Expect to see staples such as FaceTime, Maps, Mail, and others and new applications like the Freeform collaborative software modified for virtual reality.
Other than that, a reality dial was also included in this list of capabilities, as shown in this amazing Apple VR/AR headset render. This dial would allow users to transition between augmented reality and virtual reality. The 3D render also features an action button, which is present on the Apple Watch Ultra and is rumored to be included on the iPhone 15 Pro. We don’t know what precise functionality this action button will enable.
As if that weren’t enough, according to a recent story from The Information, the Apple VR/AR headset will allow users to develop their apps, regardless of whether they know how to code. The Siri-powered function will reportedly permit users to use the headset to scan real-world things and convert them into digital assets. User-created applications will appear on the app store, but they certainly satisfy Apple’s stringent approvals procedure.
Conclusion
You should wait for Apple’s planned $3,000 AR/VR headset and buy it only if you’re willing to spend that much money on a first-generation device that will improve and become more inexpensive over time.
If you’re thrilled about what mixed reality will do for you and how it can revolutionize your life and you use the internet, then Apple’s headgear will almost surely be fascinating to purchase and use. It’s fair to suppose that Apple will discover some incredible methods to incorporate its headset into our daily lives, making them more convenient and entertaining with some new games.
