Apple mixed reality headset: iOS-style interface, external battery, VR videos, apps…
Apple’s long-awaited AR/VR headset is set to debut in 2023, and rumors surrounding the product are heating up. Today, Bloomberg is sharing a few details about the headset’s interface, the apps it will offer, and how it will work. A very interesting salvo that tells us more about this product that fans have been eagerly waiting for.
Is xrOS like iOS?
First, our colleagues explain that Apple’s mixed reality headset, which will be called xrOS, will have an “iOS”-like interface and include “many features” found on the iPhone and iPad. Better yet, the helmet can also be used as an external display for your Mac. Users will be able to use a physical keyboard, trackpad, and mouse to interact with the Mac while viewing its screen in virtual reality.
Using the headphones will be “familiar to Apple customers” because the interface is similar to that of an iPhone or iPad. Home screen will be available with reconfigurable app icons and widget customization.
A collection of technologies
The headset’s “key selling point” will be eye and hand tracking, which Apple will implement using external cameras that can track users’ hands and eyes. According to Bloomberg, the user of the headset will be able to control it by first selecting an item on the screen while looking at it, and then controlling it with gestures. Unlike other headphone options, Apple won’t use a physical controller.
mixed reality
Most likely, the headset, which will be called “Reality Pro”, will be able to switch between augmented reality and virtual reality. While the former is a completely virtual environment that hides the user’s surroundings, the latter superimposes virtual objects on top of the real world. The headset’s external cameras will be used for augmented reality functions, and a control button similar to the Apple Watch’s Digital Crown will be used to switch between VR and AR.
Priority for FaceTime
With the addition of meeting places and FaceTime-based video chat capabilities, video conferencing will become a priority for Apple. For interactive meetings, the user’s real face and full body will be displayed in virtual reality, and real avatars will be available for one-on-one chats. When FaceTime has more than one user, it will use less complex icons like Memoji.
VR content on Apple TV+
In addition to updating Apple TV shows and movies to be compatible with the headset, Apple is developing VR content with media partners such as Disney and Dolby. Apple’s goal is to give viewers the experience of viewing a giant screen in an environment such as a desert or outer space.
First programs
Safari, Photos, Mail, Messages, Apple TV, Apple Music, Podcasts and Calendar are just some of the apps that will be available, and the headset will have a separate App Store for third-party media. Siri and the keyboard on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac will work to enter text. Apple is working on a virtual recording feature, but it’s not expected to launch.
Compatible with contact lenses
For glasses wearers, Apple will provide special lenses that can be placed in the case, and Apple expects users to wear AirPods to get an audio experience equivalent to the visual experience provided by headphones, regardless of whether they have built-in speakers or not.
External battery
As said earlier, the headset will have an external battery to prevent overheating on the user’s face due to the high-end Mac chips used for the device. The battery is the size of two iPhone 14 Pro Max models stacked on top of each other and can run the headphones for about two hours.
The result
Bloomberg 4K microLED displays, iris tracking and more. did not touch on the rumors about In any case, the helmet will go for a very high price this year, probably 3,000 euros. Ah!
