Jamie F
Apple is reportedly aiming to reveal details of its much-anticipated first mixed reality headset in spring 2023, ahead of release later in the year.
No details about what is likely to be a virtual reality and augmented reality (AR) headset to rival the Meta Quest Pro have been confirmed by the tech giant, although many industry-watchers expect it to make a huge splash in the mixed reality sector. It has been suggested that the device may be Apple’s flagship product for 2023.
According to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, Apple is planning to unveil the headset ahead of the company’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), set to take place in June 2023. It’s said that the device is likely to be called the Reality Pro, and could be released this fall.
“Apple has already shared the device with a small number of high-profile software developers for testing, letting them get started on third-party apps. The device’s operating system, dubbed ‘Borealis’ inside the company, will be publicly named xrOS,” Gurman added.
With Apple yet to even publicly confirm the existence of the Reality Pro, or any kind of mixed reality headset from the company, rumors about specs remain speculation, albeit some more informed than others.
According to a rumor roundup by RoadtoVR, the headset may have dual-micro OLED displays at 4K resolution, a 120-degree field of vision, a waist-mounted battery plus hand tracking and voice recognition to control the set.
It’s also rumored that the headset will have at least one camera per eye for eye-tracking, many cameras and sensors for body and face tracking, plus the ability to run existing iOS apps in 2D.
As well as the Meta Quest 2 headset, Apple’s expected device is set to compete with the recently-unveiled $1,099 HTC Vive XR Elite headset. That looks set to steal a march on Apple, though, with a release date of February 15, 2023.
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