AR/VR Headset Rumor Recap: 10 Features Coming to Apple's Next Major Product

[MacRumors]

Apple in less than two months is planning to enter a new product category, debuting its first mixed reality headset. Rumors suggest that the upcoming headset will support both AR and VR technology, and that it will have a number of features that will outshine competing products.

Render created by Ian Zelbo based on rumored information​

With the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, Apple's hardware and software led it to dominate those categories within a few short years after entering a new market, and it's possible the same thing will happen with augmented and virtual reality. We've rounded up 10 features rumored for the AR/VR headset that will set it apart from competitors.

4K Micro-OLED Displays

Apple plans to use two high-resolution 4K micro-OLED displays from Sony that are said to have up to 3,000 pixels per inch. Comparatively, Meta's new top of the line Quest Pro has LCD displays, so Apple is going to be offering much more advanced display technology.

Micro-OLED displays are built directly onto chip wafers rather than a glass substrate, allowing for a thinner, smaller, and lighter display that's also more power efficient compared to LCDs and other alternatives.

Apple's design will block out peripheral light, and display quality will be adjusted for peripheral vision to cut down on the processing power necessary to run the device. Apple will be able to reduce graphical fidelity at the periphery of the headset through the eye tracking functionality being implemented.

Integrated Cameras

Apple is outfitting its AR/VR headset with more than a dozen cameras, which will capture motion to translate real world movement to virtual movement. It is said to have two downward-facing cameras to capture leg movement specifically, which will be a unique feature that will allow for more accurate motion tracking.

The cameras will be able to map the environment, detecting surfaces, edges, and dimensions in rooms with accuracy, as well as people and other objects. The cameras may also be able to do things like enhance small type, and they'll be able to track body movements.

Iris Scanning

For privacy and security, the AR/VR headset is expected to integrate an iris scanner that can evaluate the pattern of the user's eye, allowing for an iris scan to be used for payment authentication and as a password replacement.

Iris scanning on the AR/VR headset will be akin to Face ID and Touch ID on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. It could allow two people to use the same headset, and it is a feature that is not available on competing headsets like Meta's new Quest Pro.

Facial Expression Tracking

The cameras in the AR/VR headset will be able to interpret facial expressions, translating them to virtual avatars. So if you smile or scowl in real life, your virtual avatar will make the same expression in various apps, similar to how the TrueDepth camera system works with Memoji and Animoji on the iPhone and iPad.

Control Methods

3D sensing modules will detect hand gestures for control purposes, and there will be skin detection. The headset will support voice control and the AR/VR headset will support Siri like other Apple devices. Apple has tested a thimble-like device worn on the finger, but it is not yet clear what kind of input methods we'll get with the new device.

Air Typing

For text input, the AR/VR headset will support "in-air typing" functionality, with the headset recognizing the fingers as they move using the built-in cameras.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says air typing is "finicky," but Apple will offer the feature when the headset launches.

Thin and Light Design

Apple is aiming for comfort, and the AR/VR headset is rumored to be made from mesh fabric and aluminum, making it lighter and thinner than other mixed reality headsets that are available on the market. Apple reportedly wants the weight to be around 200 grams, which would be significantly lighter than the 722 gram Quest Pro from Meta.

In March 2021, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said current prototypes were around 200 to 300 grams, but it is not clear if Apple was able to stick to that weight later in the development process.

External Battery Pack
... Click here to read rest of article

Article Link: AR/VR Headset Rumor Recap: 10 Features Coming to Apple's Next Major Product

 

[surfzen21]

I hope the picture above is what it actually looks like 😁

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

I’m sure the hardware is going to look great and probably blown away but it’s the software that is going to lack. I guess that’s going to take time. 🤨

 

[kiensoy]

I can't wait for the 3rd generation.

 

[Crowbot]

I hope the picture above is what it actually looks like 😁

Not likely. That place keeper graphic has been up forever. Knowing Apple, it will hopefully look nicer.

 

[vegetassj4]

"Most of the AR/VR headsets on the market have an integrated battery, but Apple is planning to have the headset connect to a separate, external battery..."

Raymond Stantz has entered the chat.

 

[richinaus]

Day 1 purchase for my studio.

 

[aidler]

Nothing there that would make me pay more than $1.000 for this.

 

[ThisBougieLife]

Micro LED is interesting. If this is the first micro LED product from Apple, I'd assume we'll start seeing more from then on (probably in the Watch next).

 

[Macalway]

I'm not sure I want two M2 chips an inch from my eyes. I'm nerovus about my lap.

Wtf. I guess most people don't care. I envy them. I'll say it right here, I just won't do it. Unless they can prove to me it's safe.

And considering they don't care, and have NEVER even mentioned this sort of thing, they can go to the devil.

Fitness. Ha!

 

[PS8409]

You lost me at external fanny - I mean battery pack to power the device.

 

[newyorksole]

I’m sure the hardware is going to look great and probably blown away but it’s the software that is going to lack. I guess that’s going to take time. 🤨

I guess my question for your and others is… what software do you want? Everyone is saying the software this and the lack of that, but what exactly do you want lol.

Just curious because the majority are saying it’s already DOA.

 

[jz0309]

What’s going to make or break this is the SW, the use cases… I need to be convinced badly that spending 3k or 2k or even 1k will be worth the experience.

And repeating myself, I see lots of use cases in the biz world, but we’re talking average joe/Jane consumer …

 

[jz0309]

I guess my question for your and others is… what software do you want? Everyone is saying the software this and the lack of that, but what exactly do you want lol.

Just curious because the majority are saying it’s already DOA.

SW as in apps that make me want to spend a lot of money to have an experience that blows me away

 

[ScottishDuck]

Going to say I doubt apple can cool 2 M2s in a space smaller than an iPhone, weighing 200g, which gets hot with a far less powerful chip. These rumours are absurd beyond belief.

 

[Ion-X]

I hope the picture above is what it actually looks like 😁

I respectfully, and strongly, disagree. I refuse to wear an airplane sleeping mask around town and that would surely defeat the purpose of the AR features.

If that’s the absolute best that Apple industrial design can do they should just cancel all their upcoming product lines and milk the iPhone for the next few decades.

 

[aidler]

I’m sure the hardware is going to look great and probably blown away but it’s the software that is going to lack. I guess that’s going to take time. 🤨

Software/content will come once the people are there but the people will only come when the software/content is there…. It’s a conundrum

There is a noticeable lack of ideas what people can or should do in VR. So far only gaming makes real sense and for that there is the problem I mentioned above.

In a professionell environment nobody wants to do a meeting with animoji personas. Another idea is watching a 2D movie in VR. Why would you do that?

 

[AgentOSX]

This does not provide any solution to any problem. It does not give you any extra power or facilitation.

 

[Ion-X]

Going to say I doubt apple can cool 2 M2s in a space smaller than an iPhone, weighing 200g, which gets hot with a far less powerful chip. These rumours are absurd beyond belief.

I would have to disagree with that as the iPad Pro packs an M-series processor without any fans and doesn’t get particularly hot from what I’ve heard. In a thicker design like Reality Pro it should be possible to get two in there, so long as they have a robust heatsink. They could also vent hot air through the front of the device.

The biggest challenge here is not heat but weight. They can put water cooling pipes inside Reality Pro but that would make it heavier than a 12.9” iPad Pro!

 

[fumi2014]

Apple needs to create very specific reasons why I would need this.

 

[BobSc]

I’m sure the hardware is going to look great and probably blown away but it’s the software that is going to lack. I guess that’s going to take time. 🤨

How can you possibly know that the software is going to lack?? Is this a statement of fact or just wild speculation that everyone else has already said?

 

[Ion-X]

I'm not sure I want two M2 chips an inch from my eyes. I'm nerovus about my lap.

Wtf. I guess most people don't care. I envy them. I'll say it right here, I just won't do it. Unless they can prove to me it's safe.

And considering they don't care, and have NEVER even mentioned this sort of thing, they can go to the devil.

Fitness. Ha!

Processors do not have a tendency to explode, unlike certain smartphone manufacturers. You have very little to worry about. It’s not going to heat up your eyes.

Also, there is no scientific evidence of a link between hot devices and male infertility. That’s a big ole conspiracy theory that simply stems from people being insecure about their manhood.

 

[kognos]

Unless those features come with a "killer app" and a super low price point, this will come off as the most useless product Apple has ever released.

 

[Macalway]

Processors do not have a tendency to explode, unlike certain smartphone manufacturers. You have very little to worry about. It’s not going to heat up your eyes.

Also, there is no scientific evidence of a link between hot devices and male infertility. That’s a big ole conspiracy theory that simply stems from people being insecure about their manhood.

Those things I'm not worried about. We aren't even on the same page.

 

[flofixer]

As more details slowly leak out, I'm seeing less posts by naysayers. That it might weigh less than a third of what the Quest Pro does sounds amazing. I would guess that most criticisms in one way or another stem from the fact that most people won't be able to afford them easily.