Apple's AR/VR Headset Could Be Less Than a Year Away

[MacRumors]

Users could be able to get their hands on Apple's long-rumored augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) headset within a year, as rumors begin to zone in on a timeframe for the device's release date.

Concept render of Apple's rumored AR headset by Antonio De Rosa based on drawings from The Information​

Apple's headset device, which is expected to offer both AR and VR functionality with applications for gaming, media, and communication, could be in customers hands sooner rather than later, according to recent reports. While an exact date is unknown, the rough timeframe is becoming increasingly clear.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo recently said that Apple's headset is on track for launch in the fourth quarter of 2022. Kuo originally said that the device was scheduled for launch in the second quarter of 2022, but after a number of delays with kickstarting mass production, it seems that the fourth quarter is the timeframe Apple is now targeting. The fourth quarter of 2022 runs from October 1 to December 31, meaning that an announcement could be less than 10 months away.

There is also the chance that Apple could offer the first glimpse of its headset at WWDC in June next year to give developers enough time to prepare apps for it ahead of launch. Morgan Stanley analysts say that the project is now "approaching liftoff," with it mirroring the timeline of the Apple Watch's development before its launch.

The headset is expected to offer a lightweight design, two 4K micro-LED displays, 15 optical modules, two main processors, Wi-Fi 6E connectivity, eye tracking, a see-through AR mode, object tracking, and hand gesture controls. The device's exact price point is as yet unclear, but some reports indicate that it could cost customers around $3,000.

For detailed information about everything you need to know about Apple's long-awaited mixed-reality headset, see our comprehensive roundup.

Article Link: Apple's AR/VR Headset Could Be Less Than a Year Away

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

My guess is it will be out in Fall, 2022.

✌️ questions!

Who’s getting it?

What are you going to use it for?

I guess to bring it on. Hopefully, it doesn’t cover my whole face. Especially with a mask on.

 

[Pakaku]

I love the fact that we're still stuck with that concept art of a headset without a top strap, and now we've upgraded to a full professional render of it

 

[Realityck]

What can you say the Apple's AR headset device and the Apple Car are two of the longest running rumors.

 

[Le0M]

I bet the price will be closer to $1000 than $3000.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

I bet the price will be closer to $1000 than $3000.

Starting price $1999. I doubt Apple will offer it at $999.

 

[AlexESP]

What can you say the Apple's AR headset device and the Apple Car are two of the longest running rumors.

But one is definitely much more feasible than the other in terms of Apple’s strategy, and almost seems like it’s there.

 

[BMcCoy]

Do you think it will work independently? Or require a nearby iOS/macOS device?

I always wondered if the reason for the M1 chip in the iPad Pro - that seemed overkill, with no obvious features requiring it - was actually to prepare it for this VR headset.. ie. That the headset would require a minimum M1 device to connect to. Thereby enabling the headset to be very light on internal electronics.

But then I suppose the heaviest part of it is likely to be the battery, so that doesn’t really make sense either.

 

[BigMovieGeek]

I don’t want to sound negative, but this smacks of a “one generation and done” kind of product.

 

[c94733]

Can someone point me to a good use case of VR for the general public that is not a gimmick? Even pornography and gaming seem to be novelties in VR that will get you to use the headset once before it collects dust.

 

[skitidetdu]

It could be more than a year away too....what is the point of these reports?

 

[vjpulp]

As a VR headset, I can totally see it. But for AR, I would want to use it outside, in the streets etc, and I‘m not seeing myself walking around with a thing like that on my head.

 

[MacHiavelli]

As much chance of being a success as 3D TV. Cul-de-sac.

 

[Berti10]

And we are calling it: „AirSight“

 

[ChromeCloud]

If the leaked price point is correct, it has to be something pretty revolutionary: you can get a lot of entertainment for 3000$.

 

[patrick001]

It could be more than a year away too....what is the point of these reports?

The purpose is for those people who are employed and get paid to speculate about things that Apple could possibly release in the near future while people like you compulsively complain-troll and add absolutely nothing to the discussion.

 

[hyperreal]

Can someone point me to a good use case of VR for the general public that is not a gimmick? Even pornography and gaming seem to be novelties in VR that will get you to use the headset once before it collects dust.

VR art installations maybe? Although that's probably a no-go during the pandemic. And I don't know how many VR artists there are and if any of them are good. But I think there's definitely something new to be done there.
It's a very immature technology. But then again, so were smartphones at one point.

Anyway, I don't think this is a product for the general public. There are compelling VR use cases in the medical field and maybe some training environments. For the average consumer even an Apple headset would be just an expensive high tech toy, unless Apple comes up with some really mind blowing software that actually is useful in VR.

Or if we - for some reason - really go full "metaverse" and move most of our social interaction into the digital realm. Then it would basically be your connection to an artificial office space. The jack that plugs you into the Matrix. What an awful future that would be.

 

[Freeangel1]

These look like a nightmare if they get hacked and some hacker is seeing what your seeing.

 

[Le0M]

Can someone point me to a good use case of VR for the general public that is not a gimmick? Even pornography and gaming seem to be novelties in VR that will get you to use the headset once before it collects dust.

With a proper UI, having these glasses is like having a huge screen to work on. Be it surfing the web, video editing, video calling, you're gonna have much more space. And again, if UI and inout methods will be good, it'll be faster to do all these things.
Have you ever watched Minority Report?

 

[ChromeCloud]

As much chance of being a success as 3D TV. Cul-de-sac.

I don't understand this kind of comments.

How can you possibly predict if a product will be successful or not by reading some vague rumors about it? At this stage, basically nobody outside of some engineers and managers at Apple really knows exactly how it will work and what are its strengths and weaknesses.

 

[hyperreal]

With a proper UI, having these glasses is like having a huge screen to work on. Be it surfing the web, video editing, video calling, you're gonna have much more space. And again, if UI and inout methods will be good, it'll be faster to do all these things.
Have you ever watched Minority Report?

The point of VR is to be immersive. So any actually practical use case would have to be something that benefits from full immersion. Why would you want to browse the web in an artificial 3D space? How would web-browsing benefit from this?
Or how would you edit video in VR? With gestures? How is that better than mouse + keyboard or a dedicated editing controller? How would you work ergonomically? I'm not a professional video editor so I really wouldn't know - I'm genuinely curious.

There's a lot of potential in VR for many things but I don't think that an artificial three-dimensional workspace, possibly without tactile feedback, would be that great. But that's pretty much what people said about on-screen keyboards when the first iPhone launched, so who knows.

 

[BootsWalking]

I heard a rumor it'll be wirelessly chargeable via the AirPower charging mat.

 

[szw-mapple fan]

Do you think it will work independently? Or require a nearby iOS/macOS device?

I always wondered if the reason for the M1 chip in the iPad Pro - that seemed overkill, with no obvious features requiring it - was actually to prepare it for this VR headset.. ie. That the headset would require a minimum M1 device to connect to. Thereby enabling the headset to be very light on internal electronics.

But then I suppose the heaviest part of it is likely to be the battery, so that doesn’t really make sense either.

The M1 in the iPad isn’t that much of an overkill if the apps you use need the power, especially in a couple of years. There are already some apps that can take full advantage of it and some games can still throttle the chip. It’s more likely that putting the M1 made sense from a production/chip design point of view. It was probably more expensive to make another X variant just for the iPad Pro than just using the M1.

 

[400]

Wonder what will run on/for it. Most of the time I am playing age old games on the Macs I have owned cos not much around, Ferral etc. do excellent ports but going 32-64 killed a lot in my library, now M1 has limited stuff again and the new machines I have had over the years are quickly superseded and dropped from top notch resolutions ability (app store feeding the whatever beast games don't do it for me).

Sitting this out to see where it goes if it ever appears.

 

[McScooby]

Starting price $1999. I doubt Apple will offer it at $999.

Using the Airpods Max or HomePods (or minis) as an example, compared to the 'comparative' competitor 'phones or pods (i.e. the Bose's, the Sony's, the Google's & Amazon's) the Max's & 'pod's price runs about 2 or 3x the price of those.

For 's VR headset the closest 'competitor' would be an Oculus Quest 2 that sells at $299, so $600 - 999 could be a realistic price band.

Spatial Audio was obviously recently introduced to Music, not because of music, but because that will also be integrated into the headsets as a differentiator to competitors, that & the increased screen resolutions the vr headset screens would bring.