Apple’s Reality Pro mixed-reality headset is ready to make a big splash at the WWDC keynote on June 5. Despite the device not expected to ship until later in the year. Apple is working to entice potential buyers and developers with exciting experiences.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that engineers are working around the clock to create custom AR/VR versions of Apple’s core apps, including Books, Calendars, Camera, Contacts, FaceTime, Fitness, Files, Freeform, GarageBand, Home, iMovie, Keynote, Mail, Maps, Messaging, Notes, Pages, Photos, Reminders, Music, News, Numbers, Safari, Stocks, TV, and Weather.
Apple’s Reality Pro Headset: The Next Big Thing?
Apps will hopefully look similar to their iPad counterparts, with floating app windows and custom controls. The headset will remember which apps were open and also let you run multiple apps at once.
Some apps will be updated to take advantage of mixed reality. TV app is one such app, which lets you view content in a virtual theater or other virtual settings like the desert or moon.
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The FaceTime app will create a digital avatar of users in a virtual meeting room. The Fitness+ app will let you watch a fitness instructor in VR while you work out, while the meditation app will provide a series of calming graphics, sounds, and voice-overs.
Gaming is also a significant category for Reality Pro. Apple working with developers to upgrade their existing software for mixed reality.
The headset will run xrOS operating system. At the core of xrOS will be iOS, which can run iPad apps as-is or with minimal modification. The headset will also be able to run several apps at once in floating windows that will remember where you left off.
Apple is keen to make the category successful and has been making all efforts to get developers on board. The Reality Pro will be an expensive, limited-quantity item at the start.
Still, Apple is hoping that its focus on custom app development and mixed-reality capabilities will be enough to entice potential buyers and developers.
