While its release was announced in 2022 with a presentation at WWDC in June, Apple’s mixed reality headset (which mixes augmented reality and virtual reality) should finally be marketed in 2023. The apple brand would face to several engineering problems, reports the very serious Bloomberg.
What problems does the brand face?
The media explains that the development of the helmet is notably slowed down by concerns related to overheating, cameras and software. This isn’t the first time the release of the device, which Apple has been working on since 2015, has been pushed back; it was originally scheduled for 2021.
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The overheating problems stem directly from the fact that the headset will support two processors, one of them would be equivalent to the very powerful M1 Pro which are in the MacBook Pro 14, information also reported by the specialist of the apple brand, Ming-Chi Kuo. As for on-board cameras allowing augmented reality, Apple has also faced development difficulties and will source modules from LG. The firm plans to start production of these parts in the second quarter of this year.
A helmet to prepare the ground
If we ignore its final price, the headset should still cost more than $2,000. With this product, the first new device from the Cupertino company since the Apple Watch in 2015, Apple does not expect an explosive commercial success: it predicts to sell between 7 and 10 million units during its first marketing year.
Featuring high-resolution screens and new audio technology in addition to ultra-powerful chips, the headset is intended for a niche audience. The objective is clear for Apple: to prepare its users for the manipulation of such devices with a view to the much more distant release of its augmented reality glasses which could, in the long term, replace the iPhone.
Clearly, Cupertino does not want to market AR glasses immediately; the failures of Magic Leap and Google Glass have vaccinated much of the sector, while VR headsets are enjoying more visible success, like Meta’s Oculus Quest. Mixed reality thus seems to be the perfect compromise for Apple: the firm will be able to accustom users while training developers in this technology.
Virtual reality, and especially augmented reality, are technologies of the future, which will replace smartphones. Photography: Jezael Melgoza / Unsplash
A dedicated OS
Because the headset will have its own operating system which should be called rOS (the r for reality) and focus on communication tools and media consumption. It will thus have an application store; moreover, WWDC 2023 should focus on the creation of virtual and augmented reality applications for the headset. At the conference scheduled for this year, Apple will set the stage with iOS 16, which should allow developers to experiment with technology thanks to the new features planned for iPhone.
For now, the name of the helmet is not known, but some names are already coming out of the mouths of experts. 01.net thus reports that Apple Vision and Apple Reality would be very likely to name the next product from the Apple brand. Moreover, it is important to note that this one will have to face very great competition since Meta plans to market its own mixed reality headset, under the code name Project Cambria, during 2022. On the other hand, the latter should not not target the same type of users as it will focus on the metaverse.
The future helmet falls into the category known as ” next big thing from Apple. These are all new products on which the firm is working and which notably make it possible to justify the monster valuation of the company, which reaches 3,000 billion dollars. In addition to this helmet and AR glasses, Cupertino is also developing the Apple Car, an autonomous and electric car.