A recent report suggested that a mixed reality Apple headset would be the Mac Pro of VR devices, at a price where the company would sell only one unit per day per Apple Store.
A new report claims that it has more specific details, including 8K ultra-high resolution screens, and a price point around $ 3,000.
Apple’s known interest in this area has so far focused more on augmented reality (AR) than virtual reality (VR), but recent reports point to a mixed-reality device, which will be mostly VR, but which contains real elements.
The information call an anonymous source “with direct knowledge” of the device.
A mixed-reality headphone developed by Apple will be equipped with more than a dozen cameras to detect hand movements and show real-world videos to people wearing them, along with 8K screens with ultra-high resolution and advanced technology to track eye tracking technology, according to a person with direct knowledge of the device […]
The inclusion of two 8K screens in the headset would make the picture quality much higher than that of other headphone consumers – and even the majority of high-end televisions, which cost thousands of dollars with an 8K resolution. Apple has been working for years on technology that uses eye tracking to fully display only parts of the screen that the user is looking for. This allows the headset to display a lower quality graphical version in the peripheral vision of the user and reduce the computing needs of the device, according to people with knowledge of the efforts. […]
Among the biggest risks is the price of the device, which is likely to cost significantly more than the $ 300 to $ 1,000 for existing VR headsets from Oculus and others from Facebook. Last year, Apple talked internally about the price of the product for about $ 3,000, more than the starting price of the company’s high-end laptops, but about the $ 3,500 that Microsoft charges for its microphone headset, HoloLens, according to the person with direct knowledge of the device. .
The price indicates that it will not be placed with consumers, but mainly with businesses. This is the market that Microsoft is targeting with HoloLens.
Increase productivity and lower travel-related costs. Increase employee satisfaction through remote collaboration, with both hands free to complete tasks.
Help employees learn new skills faster while improving training processes using new interactive methods.
Increase employee productivity and sales by visualizing your design or sales-related 3D assets as holograms in the real world.
Achieve reduced errors and increased productivity of employees through automatic recognition of physical objects. Visualize related contextual data while having full access to your physical environment and including AI to go beyond human capabilities.
However, the long piece also indicates game applications.
The website says that the version above is based on images of a prototype he saw. Regarding the actual styling, the recently released AirPods Max can provide some clues.
The app saw internal Apple images of a late-stage prototype from last year, in which a smooth, curved visor was attached to the face by a mesh material and interchangeable headbands. The version of an artist, based on the images of the headset and made by The Information, appears below.
Apple probably views the device as a springboard to a consumer AR product commonly called Apple Glasses.
Apple is also working on lightweight smart glasses designed to cover virtual objects on a person’s view of the real world, as The Information reported earlier. That device is still years away from release and faces strong technological barriers. In October 2019, Apple told employees that they hope to ship the headset in 2022 and the glasses by 2023.
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