Apple Headset to Use 'New Proprietary Charging Connector' for External Battery

[MacRumors]

Apple's mixed reality headset will have two ports including a USB-C interface for data transfer and a new proprietary charging connector for the external battery, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

Apple mixed reality headset concept by David Lewis and Marcus Kane​

​

Most AR/VR headsets on the market have an integrated battery, but reports suggest that Apple's headset will connect to a separate, external battery that is worn at the waist, which allows the headset to be lighter and more comfortable.

Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman revealed that the charging cable that goes from the battery pack into the headset has a round tip that inserts magnetically.

According to Gurman, the round tip must be rotated clockwise to lock it in so that it doesn't fall out during use, while "the cable itself connects to the battery pack, and those two pieces aren't separable."

The external battery pack is said to look like an iPhone MagSafe battery pack and is "about the size of an iPhone but thicker," reports Gurman. It is designed to be charged via USB-C, and can be powered up using the same adapter included with the MacBook Pro.

The battery will power the headset for approximately two hours, and it will be able to be swapped out for continuous usage while a second battery charges. Given the short battery life, the presumption is that Apple will offer additional battery packs for sale separately.

Apple's headset is rumored to be called "Reality One" or "Reality Pro" and is expected to debut at WWDC in June, along with xrOS, Apple's new mixed-reality operating system. For more information on the purported features of the headset, be sure to check out our most recent breakdown.

Article Link: Apple Headset to Use 'New Proprietary Charging Connector' for External Battery

 

[howywood]

God damn you, Tim Apple and your gaslighting about being an environmentally friendly company.

 

[Realityck]

This is from yesterdays Mark Gurman article published early in the morning. Here’s where it is discussed. See https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/vr-ar-device-use-cases.2386114/post-32118404

As you can see the article is examining how Apple might try to market this, not so much that hardware details are factual.

 

[Macropanda]

How very Apple. Of course they couldn't just add a usb-c port for power and leave it at that.

 

[Abazigal]

So...? What's the big deal here?

 

[k1121j]

If it s MagSafe i'm ok with it

 

[TSE]

Of course. They want you to buy the Apple $99 battery. Not the USB-C one on Amazon for $30.

 

[cardfan]

So much flop in this one. Swim googles. Battery pack belt. 2 hour battery life. Lol.

 

[Skyscraperfan]

If you use it at home, why would you use a battery which will degrade with every circle. Why can't it be plugged in like a notebook? It would annoy me to change the battery after two hours.

 

[syklee26]

This is just bad… if wearing the unit takes time, that goes against Apple philosophy. Battery is probably magsafe based so I wouldn’t mind too much, but it sounds like wearing it would take too long.

 

[MayaUser]

EU now will have to make a new law...
I hope EU will understand that you cannot keep up with giant tech companies...that ship is sailed

 

[MayaUser]

God damn you, Tim Apple and your gaslighting about being an environmentally friendly company.

yea like Steve Apple was not..he started this

 

[coffeemilktea]

Imagine paying $3000 and having to wear a battery pack around your waist. 😅 I really hope Gurman's just messing around, because if this stuff is actually true, this is going to be the most goofy-looking headset.

 

[ifxf]

The proprietary connector will insure that only Apple batteries can be used with the headset.

 

[usersince86]

Interesting way to make the headset more comfortable, but having an external battery (and cable) seems less than wonderful. Should be fun to see what this really looks like, performs like, and costs...

 

[vegetassj4]

I heard the charging would be wireless

 

[Two Appleseeds]

No way in hell I’m buying one of these when they first come out, but these do strike me as curious devices. If anyone can create a decent UI for a AR/VR headset it’s Apple. The external magsafe battery at least sounds realistic and probably better than heavy goggles. Wonder if we’ll at least be able to try these out in Apple stores.

 

[vertsix]

yea like Steve Apple was not..he started this

Steve started this because USB 1.0 back in the day were worse than FireWire or 30-pin connectors for iPod.

Lightning, similarly, was designed because microUSB sucked.

Now, there's no excuse to continue this *******y. USB-C is a sufficiently acceptable connector with lots of flexibility, in performance and reliability.

 

[vertsix]

God damn you, Tim Apple and your gaslighting about being an environmentally friendly company.

I wonder if Jeff Williams, the second in line, would be any better as CEO.

 

[Realityck]

The proprietary connector will insure that only Apple batteries can be used with the headset.

Custom lithium-ion battery in tactical rechargeable flashlights can require that. can’t peg everything to complying with specific rules for all applications.

 

[MayaUser]

Imagine paying $3000 and having to wear a battery pack around your waist. 😅 I really hope Gurman's just messing around, because if this stuff is actually true, this is going to be the most goofy-looking headset.

i think this is a more headset for the home/office...AR glasses will be the thing

 

[leman]

Well, that sounds just terrible. I really hope this is not true.

 

[MayaUser]

Steve started this because USB 1.0 back in the day were worse than FireWire or 30-pin connectors for iPod.

Lightning, similarly, was designed because microUSB sucked.

Now, there's no excuse to continue this *******y. USB-C is a sufficiently acceptable connector with lots of flexibility, in performance and reliability.

same with lighting...microusb was garbage....etc etc

 

[vertsix]

So much flop in this one. Swim googles. Battery pack belt. 2 hour battery life. Lol.

Yeah at least the Apple Watch was sufficiently refined for release in 2015, albeit with its issues such as performance.

This seems like a release of a beta product by Tim Crook so he can have his 'Steve Jobs' moment before retiring. It's cute.

 

[Anaxarxes]

That's a super vague article articulating clickbait headline. The same thing can be said about MacBooks, they do have a propriety connector (MagSafe).

If the headline would say "Apple's new Reality Headset will use magsafe for charging" it would not result with controversial anger posts and reshares that it is currently producing now is it?