The next edition of Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in early June is expected to be one of the biggest ever because it will reportedly act as a platform to launch a new product — a mixed-reality headset. Apple hasn’t confirmed the existence of a headset but industry insiders say it has been in the works for years. If the headset is announced, it is not expected to ship until later this year. Being expensive (could be priced around $3,000), it could be initially geared towards the developer community. Mixed reality brings together real-world content and virtual content to produce new environments.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has been, for years, following developments taking place at Apple. He has reported that the headset — dubbed Reality Pro or Reality One — will come with all the apps that come with the iPhone and then some more. “Apple plans to pack the headset with a variety of features — games, fitness services, even an app for reading books in virtual reality — and hope that buyers find something they like,” Gurman has reported.
Reality Pro will apparently run most of Apple’s existing iPad apps in mixed reality or blending AR and VR. The list includes Books, Camera, Contacts, FaceTime, Files, Freeform, Home, Mail, Maps, Messages, Music, Notes, Photos, Reminders, Safari, Stocks, TV and Weather. There could be a new Wellness app with a focus on meditation, featuring immersive graphics, calming sounds and voice-overs. It may have a portal for “watching sports in virtual reality as part of Apple’s push into streaming live games and news”.
During videoconferences, we are looking at having realistic avatars, making users feel like they are interacting in the same place.
The AR-VR headset will be a standalone device with Apple silicon chips; it may even have two chips that will allow it to perform complex tasks. The tasks before Apple is cutting down on weight and offering enough battery life. There will be two high-resolution 4K micro OLED displays with up to 3,000 pixels per inch to offer an immersive viewing experience. There will be multiple cameras on the headset to track hand movements, map the environment, capture facial features and body movements, and project visual experiences.