Apple's Mixed-Reality Headset Again Rumored to Feature Micro-OLED Internal Displays and Standard OLED External Indicator Display

[MacRumors]

Apple's long-rumored mixed-reality headset will feature separate internal and external displays that use different display technologies, according to The Elec.

Concept render based on purported leaked information by Ian Zelbo​

As stated in the original Korean language report, Apple's first-generation mixed-reality headset will feature an OLED on silicon (OLEDoS), also known as micro-OLED, display supplied by Sony and a standard OLED external "indicator" display supplied by LG Display. The English language version of the report appears to have been incorrectly translated to state that LG's micro-OLED technology rather than standard OLED would be used on the first-generation headset.

In January, display analyst Ross Young was first to claim that Apple's headset will feature an outer display. Since then, rumors about Apple's display supply chain for its first headset have coalesced with Young's forecast.

Micro-OLED can deliver ultra-high resolutions despite its small size, making it ideal for virtual-reality applications. The more advanced display technology is not required on the exterior of the headset since it is expected to simply serve as an indicator display, meaning that regular OLED technology is sufficient.

The report reiterated that for the second-generation Apple headset, LG hopes to supply the main micro-OLED display in addition to the outer display, with the company now believed to be developing its OLEDoS technology with equipment from Sunic System. LG effectively hopes to take Apple's main micro-OLED display orders from Sony. This is also said to be in Apple's interests since Sony will indirectly compete with Apple's headset with its own PlayStation VR headsets.

Late last year, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that Apple was already working on the second-generation version of its headset, aiming to offer a more lightweight design, an improved battery system, and better performance thanks to a faster processor. Kuo said that the shipment schedule for the second-generation headset resides in the second half of 2024, around two years after mass production on the first-generation model is rumored to begin.

Kuo believes that Apple's first-generation headset will be unveiled at an event as soon as January 2023. The headset is rumored to feature a lightweight design, two 4K micro-OLED displays, 15 optical modules, two main processors, Wi-Fi 6E connectivity, eye tracking, object tracking and hand gesture controls, and more. The device's approximate price point is as yet unclear, but some reports indicate that it could cost around $3,000.

Article Link: Apple's Mixed-Reality Headset Again Rumored to Feature Micro-OLED Internal Displays and Standard OLED External Indicator Display

 

[yossi]

So the outer display will be a projection of the user's eyes so they can have conversations with others while wearing the device.. not creepy at all!

 

[ponzicoinbro]

So the outer display will be a projection of the user's eyes so they can have conversations with others while wearing the device.. not creepy at all!

“Hi mom, remember that photo you showed me of great grandfather using his 18th century techno hat?”

”Yes son, he kept walking into walls and one day he walked straight off the balcony”

 

[tuckerjj]

In January, display analyst Ross Young was first to claim that Apple's headset will feature an outer display. Since then, rumors about Apple's display supply chain for its first headset have coalesced with Young's forecast.

Did Ross Young claim an outer display? The linked article only notes that a third AMOLED display was predicted and suggests this could be used for “low-resolution peripheral vision”. Nothing in the write up suggests an outer display.

 

[Macalway]

I don't like the idea of heavy electronics in my face like that.

Makes me nervous. Probably nothing. Nevermind

 

[MayaUser]

micro-led for the future
outer display? hardly , how , where?

 

[tomtad]

EyePods?

FacePod?

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

It's funny to me Apple is already working on the second-generation version and the first generation is not even out in the wild. Honestly, I'm over this AR/VR Apple Mixed reality headset. Just doesn't seem appealing anymore. But It will be from Apple so I guess I will be buying it.

Does anyone else feel the same?

 

[tweaknmod]

The use-case I'm imagining for this has me seriously pumped - though I have zero reason to believe this will be a reality.

I'm thinking this will be a content consumption device, but also a work device.

Imagine sitting at a desk that has a mouse and keyboard, but no monitor. You put on your Apple headset, and an augmented version of MacOS is displayed infront of your eyes. The 'monitor(s)' you would use are projected by the device, while you still see the room you're in, and the desk you're sitting at.

This would allow you to have as many screens as you like, at whatever sizes you like, while arranging and manipulating them as you see fit (with a mouse, as we do now, or maybe with your hands). Alternatively, there may not be any 'screens' at all, but you simply move windows/apps around, or snap them to fixed locations; there are many possibilities.

Being able to see the world around you through the device would be key to this working - think AR, rather than VR. Information is projected into your world, as you can look down at your keybord for typing, or grab a pen and paper to jot down a note, or reach for your cup of coffee. I don't think a fully virtual world would be ideal for practical work.

With the way AR has been demonstrated in recent years, I don't think it's a stretch to think these virtual screens could be fixed to a certain position in the room - distance from you, as well as location relative to you as you move around.

Not only would this system allow for nearly infinite ways of organizing and displaying your work, but it would be familiar enough so as to not scare off regular people who aren't tech enthusiasts. Granted, there will be significant push-back from those who think they will look silly, but once they get over that, and look at this as being akin to sitting at your desk in front of three giant monitors, they can simply work within MacOS as they normally would - only with more freedom.

I don't think this is a novelty. I think this has the potential to revolutionise how we work day-to-day.

 

[terminator-jq]

The more I hear about this headset the more excited I am to see how Apple plans to market a $3000 headset… (not being sarcastic). Cost wise are talking $2000-$2500 more than headsets from “Meta”, Valve and the upcoming PS VR2 for the PlayStation 5 which is rumored to come in at around $400. Those headsets may be more focused on gaming but no doubt people will be comparing.

For that much money, Apple must have some bigger use planned for this thing. Maybe “Reality OS” is a more robust operating system than we think it is. Maybe this headset could be used for not only experiencing virtual worlds but also designing objects and spaces for those worlds. For $3000 there’s gotta be some reason that people will want to keep putting this thing on and wearing it for extended hours. VR games and virtual tours just isn’t going to be enough. For content consumption alone, $3000 is a high ask.

They definitely have my curiosity. As a digital artist always looking for new ways to create, I’m certainly curious if they can gain my wallet as well.

 

[reyesmac]

The materials it uses seem to make it comfortable to wear. But if they cannot be washed easily or at all, this thing, this extremely expensive thing, is going to look dingy and discolored and smelly by the time it is made prematurely obsolete by the next years model. If you have to pay a monthly fee just to use it then they should include a trade in program for them as well.

 

[cocky jeremy]

Is it weird that I'm excited to see what Apple has to offer here, even though I have zero interest in buying any VR/AR stuff? 😁

 

[reyesmac]

The more I hear about this headset the more excited I am to see how Apple plans to market a $3000 headset… (not being sarcastic). Cost wise are talking $2000-$2500 more than headsets from “Meta”, Valve and the upcoming PS VR2 for the PlayStation 5 which is rumored to come in at around $400. Those headsets may be more focused on gaming but no doubt people will be comparing.

For that much money, Apple must have some bigger use planned for this thing. Maybe “Reality OS” is a more robust operating system than we think it is. Maybe this headset could be used for not only experiencing virtual worlds but also designing objects and spaces for those worlds. For $3000 there’s gotta be some reason that people will want to keep putting this thing on and wearing it for extended hours. VR games and virtual tours just isn’t going to be enough. For content consumption alone, $3000 is a high ask.

They definitely have my curiosity. As a digital artist always looking for new ways to create, I’m certainly curious if they can gain my wallet as well.

If it can be used for normal computer work (you can do your work on a virtual computer system in the VR headset) they could make it so that you are connected to Mac pros. The gaming part will already be connected to very fast servers so they could do the same thing for people looking to do work with it. If you could get Mac Pro speed while connected to this that would explain why it is half the price of a Mac Pro. The price isn't connected to the cost of producing the device, it might be tied to how many computers you can replace with it. Apple does not give away productivity only their top computers have, if anything is going to offer that level of speed, they will charge a price that is closer to those models. Like if they made a mac mini as fast as a mac pro, all of a sudden it would cost many times more than a mac mini. Its not because it cost that much more to produce. Pro level speed on Apple devices costs around $3,000. And has for a real long time. So this thing better be Pro in every sense of the word.

 

[IIGS User]

Something like this would be useful for people that work in 3 dimensions. Industrial designers, mechanical engineers, architects, etc.

I can see enormous potential for surgeons, particularly when combined with robotic surgery like the valve repair surgery I had.

For the average user interested in playing games, doing office or college coursework? Overpriced .05 generation item.

I see the potential for it, but I'm not putting this thing on my face and taking it off 10+ times a day to type reports or do database work. Every time I gotta take a leak or drop a deuce this thing is popping off my head. And I'm not wearing it ALL the time. I don't need to take an augmented reality dump. I mean, look how greasy your phone gets just using it.

I mean, can you imagine how dirty it would get just from touching it and putting it on your face. It would be an oily greasy germ riddled reservoir of disease 10 times worse than a keyboard.

 

[Macative]

Yawn. Wake me when it's a real product.

 

[macsplusmacs]

I mean, can you imagine how dirty it would get just from touching it and putting it on your face. It would be an oily greasy germ riddled reservoir of disease 10 times worse than a keyboard.

I have the white Air Pod Max headphones. So yes. yes I can! LOL!

 

[Vasilioskn]

I don’t think I’m into this. Let’s see how the public reacts when it’s released

 

[tkermit]

I'm over this AR/VR Apple Mixed reality headset. Just doesn't seem appealing anymore. But It will be from Apple so I guess I will be buying it.

Does anyone else feel the same?

No, but that was a wild ride to read.

 

[jz0309]

So a second article today, fine, assuming this thing really will be released it will have impressive HE specs.
But what will the use case be?
At that rumored price point it will be a total niche… and just to be clear, I can see remote trouble shooting/learning and such and then there’s gaming - guess we’ll have to wait til Apple announced this thing and tells us

 

[macsplusmacs]

So a second article today, fine, assuming this thing really will be released it will have impressive HE specs.
But what will the use case be?
At that rumored price point it will be a total niche… and just to be clear, I can see remote trouble shooting/learning and such and then there’s gaming - guess we’ll have to wait til Apple announced this thing and tells us

It will start at the high end, pretty soon down the road, MacFace Minis are all the rage at 599$.

 

[Eso]

This would allow you to have as many screens as you like, at whatever sizes you like, while arranging and manipulating them as you see fit (with a mouse, as we do now, or maybe with your hands).

Boy, Apple will really try anything to avoid making a touch-screen Mac.

 

[alpi123]

The more I hear about this headset the more excited I am to see how Apple plans to market a $3000 headset… (not being sarcastic). Cost wise are talking $2000-$2500 more than headsets from “Meta”, Valve and the upcoming PS VR2 for the PlayStation 5 which is rumored to come in at around $400. Those headsets may be more focused on gaming but no doubt people will be comparing.

For that much money, Apple must have some bigger use planned for this thing. Maybe “Reality OS” is a more robust operating system than we think it is. Maybe this headset could be used for not only experiencing virtual worlds but also designing objects and spaces for those worlds. For $3000 there’s gotta be some reason that people will want to keep putting this thing on and wearing it for extended hours. VR games and virtual tours just isn’t going to be enough. For content consumption alone, $3000 is a high ask.

They definitely have my curiosity. As a digital artist always looking for new ways to create, I’m certainly curious if they can gain my wallet as well.

People need to start understanding that Apple's headset (supposedly) isn't a direct competitor to the Quest. The materials and tech specs of Apple's headset are much higher, not to mention the software integration and apps they'd be able to offer.

The closest thing to it right now is the HoloLens 2 which costs $3500 and still doesn't offer as much things as Apple would.

And there's still no solid "proof" on how much it will cost. It might just be under $2000...

 

[jayducharme]

EyePods?

FacePod?

iGlass?

Far be it from me to second guess Apple, but if the price is $3000 then I can't see it selling very well (unless there are specific use cases in industry).

But if they cannot be washed easily or at all, this thing, this extremely expensive thing, is going to look dingy and discolored and smelly by the time it is made prematurely obsolete

I wonder if the AirPods Max were a dry run for what they're planning, with removable sections that are magnetically attached.

 

[darcyf]

Starting to think the front of the visor will be a screen unto itself that might let the people around you see the world you’re in, or something to that effect, which would make wearing a visor less of a closed off, shut out from others experience. Leave it to apple to find a way to make something more human friendly and able to integrate better with the surrounding world. They’re thinking beyond just “person wears visor, escapes reality” and rather “person wears visor, has new way of experiencing and interacting with reality”. This would likely make this kind of product more appealing to the masses, which would be so very Apple to accomplish.

 

[macsplusmacs]

Starting to think the front of the visor will be a screen unto itself that might let the people around you see the world you’re in, or something to that effect, which would make wearing a visor less of a closed off, shut out from others experience. Leave it to apple to find a way to make something more human friendly and able to integrate better with the surrounding world. They’re thinking beyond just “person wears visor, escapes reality” and rather “person wears visor, has new way of experiencing and interacting with reality”. This would likely make this kind of product more appealing to the masses, which would be so very Apple to accomplish.

That and for displaying "googly eyes."