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

[Piggie]

I hope it does not need another Apple product in order to work, but somehow I feel it's going to be linked to an iPhone only in some way.
As with everyone else, it's "Entertainment apps" I am most curious about.
Are they going to go the PRO route, like CAD, Architecture, Health/Medial, Engineering etc etc.
Or are they going to aim this at people who want to do Mac things but in 3D on your face.
And we all know Entertainment is a HUGE market for these headsets, and no one needs to tell any Apple customers just how interested Apple is in gaming.
And I of course mean, proper in-depth gaming, not quick short mobile games with microtransactions.

I genuinely hope its fantastic, the devs take it up and it sets high standards for other brands, and really kick-starts the market.
Sadly, I still can't see a typical non-tech family wanting much to do with these devices, other than perhaps the youngest members who are into the tech.

I'm struggling to see this getting far, apart from high end Apple fans, and business.
But I will remain hopefull.

 

[123]

> It could allow two people to use the same headset

Wow, great for families! At least it's cheap.

 

[redbeard331]

Goggles no, all this ar stuff will be useless until it can be incorporated into glasses that don’t look ridiculous. Or some holographic tech that can beam things in front of us from our phones as we walk down a street.

 

[kognos]

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.

There has not been a good application for AR/VR in the consumer space. VR games? Apple doesn't really have the hardware for that, nor will someone pay $$$$ for "VR Ipad Games", nor has that even taken off in other areas where the headsets are already cheap. It's just not a good healthy market screaming for product.

There's no question that Apple can build a better headset -- but like I say, what exactly does one actually DO with that?

This is a diamond hammer looking for the nail. I challenge Apple to show us what we've all been missing. If the keynote does nothing but just tout what only the headset does (like this article) then we know, they have no idea what the nail is, they just wanted to compete with the other hammers out there. But already -- exercise? sports? Laughable use cases. I wouldn't spend $$$$ for a headset to exercise, that's a joke, and watching videos/sports in AR/VR might have a use, but honestly, you might as well sell adult content and that doesn't even have the pull.

Edit: Who would buy a $$$$ headset when they could just be at a computer while watching sports (multimonitor) or exercise with $$$$ on their head (painful, sweat, etc) ... its risky and not what people really do. It would have to be sweat resistant as well, which would be even more cost. For what? They intend to replace the peloton market? Only thing I think people want on their head is a sweatband.

But hey, Apple is known for entering a market late, with an extremely expensive but good alternative -- lets see if they have some magic up their sleeve. I won't deny I'm pessimistic.

 

[4nNtt]

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).

A watch doesn’t need a 3000 dpi display… The tech is designed for extremely high densities. Only makes sense for headsets, view finders, and users living in the quantum realm.

 

[filmantopia]

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.

Lol, in what situation would Apple be expecting anyone to wear these “around town”? This is going to be used like a Mac: at home/studio/office, etc.

 

[Leon Ze Professional]

Let's see what Apple comes up with? But I feel like this will be an up hill task and a hard sell for them.

 

[newyorksole]

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.

guarantee they’re going to tug at heart strings and emphasize use for folks who have accessibility needs or live far away from their friends/family.

I can already envision it lol. the killer app(s) are really going to be about the connection, convenience and quality.

connecting to loved ones as if you’re there with them. convenience of just wearing something on your face and seeing it all in front of you and quality… because it’s probably going to look and feel super polished.

I’m sure they’d rather let third party devs come up with the other killers apps/experiences.

 

[triton100]

Apple fitness. Hows this thing going to stay on your head when doing jumping jacks and burpees. Hmm not convinced but hopefully it will be cool

 

[4nNtt]

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?

The rumors say more realistic avatars. You would watch a 2D movie to get a movie screen anywhere. True 3D movies (not stereoscopic) that use lightfield technology could be a major revolution. You can have an arbitrarily large workspace for legacy apps. New apps and websites could use 3D when it makes sense.

It is possible that some use cases might make more sense at gen 3 or 4 assuming they can achieve retina resolution. Likely 8K per eye, but it depends on resolution per degree of view. The rumored headset is only a quarter way there. It will still be great for most media since existing headsets are already very close.

 

[aidler]

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.

Absolutely true and that is also the reason why there will be very little content for this device. Apple will very likely subsidizs some content in the beginning but that won't be nearly enough for interest to last and then, as you so aptly said, most people won't be able to afford the headset anyway.

 

[MacTwick]

I'm sure it's going to be an amazing product. I wonder what the target audience is considering the price tag. The rumored $3,000 price doesn't sound consumer friendly, more business/education priced.

 

[Kierkegaarden]

The weight target is almost half that of AirPods Max — of course, we don’t know until it is released — but not having the battery on your head is key to this lower weight.

 

[riverfreak]

I hope it does not need another Apple product in order to work, but somehow I feel it's going to be linked to an iPhone only in some way.
As with everyone else, it's "Entertainment apps" I am most curious about.
Are they going to go the PRO route, like CAD, Architecture, Health/Medial, Engineering etc etc.
Or are they going to aim this at people who want to do Mac things but in 3D on your face.
And we all know Entertainment is a HUGE market for these headsets, and no one needs to tell any Apple customers just how interested Apple is in gaming.
And I of course mean, proper in-depth gaming, not quick short mobile games with microtransactions.

I genuinely hope its fantastic, the devs take it up and it sets high standards for other brands, and really kick-starts the market.
Sadly, I still can't see a typical non-tech family wanting much to do with these devices, other than perhaps the youngest members who are into the tech.

I'm struggling to see this getting far, apart from high end Apple fans, and business.
But I will remain hopefull.

Not sure you can conclude “as with everyone else”. I, for one, don’t care at all about entertainment or gaming.

Immersive productivity that lets me do more faster (or the same amount but in less time) would be extremely compelling. I could easily imagine an environment that would make 2D management of windows in constrained spaces seem positively archaic.

More effective and efficient remote meetings could also be worthwhile albeit insufficient to warrant a purchase.

 

[NEPOBABY]

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.

Need a camera pointed at the iris to accurately scan the iris in high res detail. Where is this camera if your eyes are looking at a screen or lens?

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.

Need a camera pointed at your whole face to capture facial expressions. Where is this camera?

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.

If you do this air typing in front of people they will laugh their heads off about how silly you look and it is the worst publicity for this device.

 

[duffman9000]

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.

If the displays use that high resolution and pixels per inch then that should enable watching a 4K movie in higher than Blu Ray quality. Imagine watching your favorite movie on a gigantic floating screen. If this thing could play PC games then that’s a reason for me to buy.

 

[Jensend]

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).

Micro OLED, not Micro LED. Completely different technologies.

Pretty much the only downside to OLED technology these days is burn-in, and that’s a complete non-issue for VR, because in VR nothing is displayed on a static position on the screen.

 

[Egnat69]

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

Because it’s fun

honestly, this thing so far sounds like it is going to be the most fun and most useless device combined in quite a long time. A bit like those Microsoft Surface tables a couple of years (well… around 15 i guess) ago that could track your glass and stuff… completely and utterly useless - even for a bar or hotel lobby - but also just sooooo cooooool

 

[4odomi]

"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.

View attachment 2191824View attachment 2191830

Most of them last an hour and aren't interchangeable to continue playing

 

[Ammar Aldawood]

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

The microLED displays alone might cost Apple near $1,000, not to mention the pancake lenses, M-like chip, carbon-fiber/aluminum and all the cameras and LiDaR sensors. You're simply not being targeted as a potential buyer of the headset.

 

[4odomi]

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 …

They're all are desperately trying to be clever, without realising they don't know anything about this product or what they would like.
It's always easier to be a Neg 😏

 

[Jensend]

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?

I’ve done that so I can sit in a movie theater next to friends from other states and countries. Even better than a real movie theater, since we don’t have to worry about bothering other people in the theater.
Also, you can get a big screen experience anywhere you are.
Maybe those use cases aren’t interesting or relevant to you. That’s OK, not every product has to cater to everyone.

 

[sharpie000]

Plot twist. There is no AR/VR. This is the iSwim. Apple's entrance into the swim goggles category.

 

[Dorje Sylas]

Need a camera pointed at the iris to accurately scan the iris in high res detail. Where is this camera if your eyes are looking at a screen or lens?

Need a camera pointed at your whole face to capture facial expressions. Where is this camera?

HTC Vive Pro Eye, already does eye tracking with a ring of sensors around the lenses. They also have a facial tracker underslung attachment which could be replaced with one or more sufficiently wide angle cameras on the underside of the device.

https://developer.vive.com/documents/718/VIVE_Pro_Eye_user_guide.pdf

You do know that typically you don't have your eyes jammed directly against a VR headset's lenses right? There is room for various sensors.

"Look center, to unlock", is what I'd expect for that to workout. With a look target that is an optical illusion appearing about 3 to 4 inches away from your face. Making you go slightly cross-eyed and giving the sensors in on the lens ring a good angle and stable target.

If you do this air typing in front of people they will laugh their heads off about how silly you look and it is the worst publicity for this device.

We don't look stupid already? Slamming sweaty greasy sausages into slabs of glass and aluminum, with dumb white fungal growths coming out the ears.

If air typing is going to be more embarrassing to someone than wearing the headset in the first place, they could always bring a fake-phone made of cardboard, and pretend to be thumb typing on it.

 

[lovehateapple]

Sounds like it's going to have lidar built in for scanning the nearby environment. Or I wouldn't be surprised if it does, even though there's no mention of it. Perhaps lidar will be a subsequent generation addition.