While it still hasn’t been officially unveiled, details about Apple’s Mixed Reality (MR) headset have been revealed by The Information May 20. Company management reportedly attended a demonstration of the product at a private meeting on May 19. In production since 2015, this helmet which combines virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) should soon be revealed to the public.
Apple bets on augmented reality and mobility
Like the Apple Car, Apple’s mixed reality headset has become a real Arlesian. Since 2016, when the first rumors spread about the existence of an augmented reality project, the headset has never been shown. Year after year, its release date has been pushed back. According to Bloomberg, the project becomes more concrete. At a meeting on Thursday, May 19, members of Apple management, including Tim Cook, were able to try out a well-advanced prototype.
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For a long time Apple planned to design a powerful VR helmet thanks to a station to be placed in the room where the helmet would be used. Finally, the firm has favored mobility: it intends to offer a fully autonomous helmet. The company wants to emphasize augmented reality, claiming not to be interested in the metaverse, unlike its competitor Meta.
This decision would come from the management of Apple and not from Mike Rockwell, head of the AR / VR division of the company. The latter preferred the version of the helmet with station which worked with a processor equivalent to the M1 Ultra. It offered a better quality display when used in AR and VR.
Development disrupted by a late change of direction
This orientation would have been taken in 2019, and would have delayed the project. ” By the time the decision was made, the multiple chips in the device had already been in development for several years, making it impossible to go back to square one to, for example, design a single chip that would handle all the tasks of the headset. » reports The Information. Other difficulties, such as including 14 cameras on the helmet, represented a real technical challenge for Apple engineers.
After leaving Apple in 2019, Jonathan Ive, the man behind the design of the iPhone, continued to work as a consultant on the design of the headphones. The designer would like a helmet with a portable battery. There would be prototypes of the headset with the battery fully integrated into the headband and therefore more discreet, but Apple’s final choice on this issue is not yet known.
Last April, Apple announced that its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) event will be held from June 6 to 10. A journalist from Bloomberg discovered that the iOS16 beta, which will be the topic of WWDC, contained references to MR headsets. The recent revelations support this hypothesis and it is very likely that the headphones will show up in June for a potential release in 2023, unless Apple decides to push back the launch again.