Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has been a very reliable source of tech related rumors for some time now. He is out again with more details of the upcoming Apple AR/VR headset. First of all, he said the headset will go by the name Apple Reality Pro. He tips that it may see the light of day at the WWDC. It will launch in the US for a price of $3,000 later in 2023.
The Cupertino company is determined to come to an end of a seven-year long project. Apple brought together about 1,000 persons to form a technology development group just to work on the Apple Reality Pro.
Apple Reality Pro is Apple’s New Product Category Since 2015
Since Apple first launched the Apple Watch in 2015, the Reality Pro happens to be Apple’s only new product category. With this, Apple is taking a huge financial gamble on its success.
According to Gurman, the Reality Pro will come in aluminum, glass and cushion just like the building materials of the Airpod Max. It is said to feature a curved screen on the front. This will show the eyes of the user wearing it. It will also have side speakers as well as headband that will make it possible to fit well on the user’s head.
Reports suggest that the Reality Pro will use a modified version of Apple’s M2 chip. It will also come with an external battery pack that will be connected via a USB cable. The user may have to keep the battery pack in the pocket when wearing the headset. The battery pack will have the size of two iPhone 14 Pro Max batteries put together and it can last for a maximum of two hours.
Features of Apple Reality Pro
In terms of features, the Reality Pro will be quite different from other competing products such as the Meta Quest Pro from Meta. It will have both face and eye tracking. It will also combine both virtual reality (inner reality environment) and Augment Reality (outside reality environment).
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Sources also say that the Reality Pro will come with its own user interface just like any other Apple device. The operating system of the Reality Pro is said to go the name xrOS. It can also serve as a video consumption device. This means users can use it to watch movies and also serve as an external monitor for Mac.
The Reality Pro will also feature several cameras to track your hands and legs. It will also have sensors to track your eyes by being able to know the direction where your eyes are looking. Also, it will come with physical hand controllers for virtual interactions.
According to Gurman, one thing that will stand out to be the main highlight of the Reality Pro will be the ability to switch from VR to AR and vice versa using the Digital Crown. When switching from VR to AR, the fully-emersed virtual environment will fade back and be surrounded by the user’s real environment.
Apple Reality Pro Will Bring a Whole New FaceTime Experience
Next in features is FaceTime. Apple Reality Pro will be able to render both the person’s face and body in a virtual environment. In this case, two people can have real world FaceTime conversations in the virtual world. This will feel just like the person stands next to you in real world.
Sources have also claimed that Apple is preparing an in-store environment where users can try Reality Pro in Apple retail stores. Even with the high price tag, Gurman says that Apple is taking a long-term approach to the Reality Pro. And that Apple does not aim to making any profits from the first gen products.