What is Apple’s new Mixed Reality Headset?
Apple has been rumored to be working on a new mixed-reality headset for several years now and there have been a lot of reports about the same in the past few months. Here is what the latest reports state.
NEW: My WWDC 2023 preview with everything to know about Apple’s XR headset, new Macs, iOS 17, watchOS 10 and more. https://t.co/Bio8jm8CBj
— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) June 2, 2023
What is Apple’s Mixed Reality Headset?
The latest report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman is claiming that Apple will release its new mixed-reality headsets at its WWDC 2023 conference.
In his blog, he mentioned, “Apple’s next big thing is finally here, with the company set to announce its mixed-reality headset at WWDC on Monday.”
The Mixed Reality Headset will combine augmented reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) technologies and will be the first headset of its kind that is released from Apple.
It will be powered by Apple’s own custom chip carrying 4k displays and have a separate battery pack.
Moreover, it is believed to have a high-resolution passthrough camera that will allow users to see the real world around them while wearing the headset.
The headset is said to be a high-end device that will be priced at around $3,000. And have a number of cameras for tracking the user's head and hand movements.
It will also run on a new operating system called xrOS. Apple's mixed reality headset is expected to offer a variety of features, including virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR).
The blog reads, “The product blends augmented and virtual reality. The VR features will be powered by a pair of bright, 4K screens inside the headset, while the AR functionality will be enabled by the video pass-through mode.
“The headset has a Digital Crown like the Apple Watch for users to toggle between AR and VR. When in VR, the user is fully immersed. When AR is toggled, content and applications fade back slightly and mix with the real environment surrounding the wearer.”
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What can you do with a Mixed-Reality headset?
Here are some of the potential uses for Apple's mixed-reality headset:
Gaming: The new Apple headset could be used for gaming, both VR and AR games.
Education: It can be used to provide students with a virtual tour of a historical site or allowing them to interact with 3D models of molecules.
Business: The headset could be used for business purposes, such as providing employees with remote training or allowing them to collaborate on projects in a virtual space.
Entertainment: People can use it for watching movies or playing games.
Mark Gurman in one of his blogs stated, “The main use cases will be communication, video consumption, wellness, gaming and productivity. One person who worked on the device called it part “status symbol” and part “future of the computer.”
The possibilities for Apple's mixed reality headset are endless. However, the company has not finalized a release date for the same.
The price of the product is really high and the tech giant is not carrying any goals to earn much profit from this new headset and will initially sell it just in the US.
The Bloomberg blog states “While the headset will debut on Monday, it won’t go on sale for several more months. Internally, the company has discussed release dates ranging from after the iPhone 15 launch to December to early 2024.”
The blog further added “The device will cost around $3,000 and Apple isn’t planning to make much money from it. It could be one of the few Apple products to not provide a big margin as Apple doesn't want to completely price itself out of the market.”
Apart from this Apple will be notifying certain users with health conditions to try and not buy this product. This is because AR and VR may carry a significant effect on their health. Bloomberg reported the diseases and they are:
- “Meniere's Disease
- Past traumatic brain injuries
- Post-concussion syndrome
- Migraines
- Vertigo
- Pregnant women
- People with ADHD or ADD
- Anxiety disorders
- Pacemaker and certain heart conditions
- Epilepsy
- History of blackouts or seizures.”
If you’re prone to inner ear infections, have ADHD/ADD, anxiety disorders, a pacemaker, epilepsy, blackouts/seizures or are pregnant, you may be warned against using the headset. In addition to Meniere's disease, past traumatic brain injuries, post-concussion syndrome, migraines. https://t.co/fuasZ1Cy8F
— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) June 2, 2023
In conclusion, it is still too early to say for sure what Apple's Mixed Reality Headset will be like, but it is sure to be a major player in the AR/VR market.
Source: Bloomberg, Mark Gurman
