Latest Technologies
Apple’s Reality Pro headset is likely just hours away.
Okay, brace yourself. The first all-new product category from Apple since the unveiling of Apple Watch in late 2014 is about to be revealed it seems. It’s a new mixed-reality headset and it’s a very big deal.
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But while nothing is confirmed until CEO Tim Cook announces it on Monday, June 5—probably following the words One More Thing—a huge amount of detail has just leaked, courtesy of Mark Gurman at Bloomberg. Here’s what we think we know.
Latest Technologies The name?
Gurman says it will either be called the Reality Pro or XR Pro, with xrOS as the name of the operating software. I respect Gurman, but I literally think it’s impossible that Apple will call a piece of hardware XR Pro. There are no Apple product names which sound like codenames. Apple uses names which are unique but accessible: AirPlay, Face ID, AirTag, Apple Watch. So, based on this, I’m suggesting it’ll be Reality Pro, or the previously rumored Reality One but not XR Pro.
Latest Technologies What will it look like?
Gurman says, “It looks like a high-tech pair of ski goggles, features a new magnetic charger for power, has a curved front with an external screen to show a wearer’s facial expressions and eyes, and several external cameras.” These are for video passthrough, that is, a way to show you the external world at the same time as the imaginary one you’re viewing. He says it’ll be made of glass, carbon fiber and aluminum.
Latest Technologies Seriously, what’s it for?
Gurman has this answer: “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.’
This is a good answer but I believe there will be more. Apple has always been able to keep software tightly under its chapeau, and I think it will have some more revelations ready for Monday’s keynote.
Latest Technologies The processor
If the headset is going to have jaw-dropping graphics, it needs a powerful processor. It seems it’s going to get one. Gurman says it’ll have an M2 chip with 16GB or RAM. That’s pretty impressive and can deliver a lot, surely.
Latest Technologies What about the battery?
This is a battery pack. Gurman claims it will, “use an external battery pack that looks like a larger version of the MagSafe Battery Pack for the iPhone. The pack will connect over a wire to the headset. The circular power adapter will attach via magnet and with a clockwise twist to lock it in so it doesn’t fall out during use. The power requirements of the headset mean it will likely only last about two hours per charge.”
This external battery has been a source of contention for some, but let’s analyze it. To build this battery into the headset would make it heavy and uncomfortable. Attaching it, assuming the cable is long enough, redistributes the weight effectively. I’m keeping an open mind on this.
Latest Technologies How do you use it?
This is very interesting. Gurman says, “Users will operate the headset using eye and hand control so they can look at an item to highlight it and then pinch their fingers to select it. It will also have Siri onboard. The headset has an array of microphones as well as speakers mounted near the user’s temples, but it will rely on AirPods for enhanced spatial audio.”
In other words, the hand controllers common to most other VR headsets will be absent here.
Latest Technologies The price is right?
Gurman has consistently said the headset will cost $3,000, and that is a price which does not “provide a big margin as Apple doesn’t want to completely price itself out of the market.”
This may be correct, but I keep remembering that before the iPad was launched, almost every prediction was for a tablet costing a grand. And it came in at just over $400. I don’t expect the same price differential here but I have a feeling it won’t be as high as Gurman thinks. But, oh boy, it ain’t going to be cheap.
Latest Technologies Release date?
When Apple releases a new product category, it’s never overnight. Think iPhone and iPad, for instance. So, as Gurman points out, it will be months before it goes on sale, despite an imminent announcement. It could be September, after the iPhone 15 launch or later.
Not long before the actual announcement and these rumors are a thing of the past. More as we have it.
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