On January 3, 2023, the website The Information revealed the final details on the future mixed reality headset d’Apple. His release is imminent.
What will Apple’s mixed reality headset look like?
The apple brand has been working on its mixed reality headset since 2015 and as usual, it remains very secretive regarding the progress of its development. According to several sources and in particular the words of the famous analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple might finally unveil its helmet in 2023following 8 long years of design. According to the latest information revealed, the Apple headset will be made of aluminum, glass and carbon fiber, noble and light materials, with the aim of reducing its size and weight.
As one might imagine, the cameras will be completely concealed for aesthetic reasons. A small wheel, similar to the one on the Apple Watch, will be positioned on the right side of the headset. This should allow users to quickly move from the virtual world to the physical world. Headband of helmet might be designed in the same material as sports bracelets of the Apple Watch, with built-in speakers. Unlike Apple’s connected watch, the future headband of the mixed reality headset will not be interchangeable.
Obviously, the helmet will allow the use of corrective lenses for spectacle wearers. The information disclosed suggests that small motors will automatically adjust the vision in function of the inter-pupillary distance of the wearer, thus providing the widest possible field of vision for each individual. About the field of view, this will be 120 degrees, such as the Valve Index. That’s more than the 106-degree field of view of Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta Quest Pro. There will be two chips, including a main SoC, comprising a CPU, GPU and memory, and a dedicated image signal processor.
Finally, the headset shouldn’t come with a dedicated controller, and Apple doesn’t seem to have focused on gaming for this device. In fact, Apple is focusing on video conferencing, with digital avatars that have a high level of accuracy when mimicking a user’s facial expressions and body movements. With this headset, you can also open the Maps application and use it to display a 3D model of a city. The headset will feature a large, outward-facing display on its front to show the wearer’s facial expressions with the idea of reducing feelings of isolation when using the device.
