Where Apple is rumored working on a potential virtual reality headset that could launch as early as next year, The Information, citing internal images of a “late-stage-prototype” from late 2020, has posited some features for the unit.
Per the article, the headset could feature more than a dozen cameras for tracking hand movements, alongside two ultra-high-resolution 8K displays as well as advanced eye-tracking technology. The cameras would be able to pass video of the real world through the visor and display it to the user, creating a “mixed-reality effect.”
The article also mentions a “sleek, curved visor attached to the face by a mesh material and swappable headbands.”
Interestingly, it’s thought that one headband could feature spatial audio technology like the AirPods Pro earbud, which could offer a surround sound-like experience, while an optional headband could provide additional battery life. It’s also thought that the headbands could be available in a variety of colors.
Apple is also thought to be experimenting with multiple ways to control the headset, such as via a “thimble-like device to be worn on a person’s finger.” The headset would also be able to respond to the wearer’s eye movements and hand gestures, the report claims, while one prototype of the headset also had a physical dial on the visor’s side.
The internal notes place the headset price around $3,000, which is roughly $500 short of Microsoft’s mixed-reality HoloLens 2 set, which retails for $3,500. Apple is also rumored to be setting an internal goal of shipping only 250,000 units of the headset in the first year of its release.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via MacRumors and The Information