Apple’s Mixed Reality Headset Could Be Officially Announced This Spring

Like its rivals, Apple has been toiling hard to foray into the wide world of mixed reality headsets, which is an innovative technology that blends the best of AR and VR into a single headset. Previous reports have iterated that the AR/VR headset will allegedly be released this year, and recent rumors give us a better timeline for its reveal.

It has been in the brewer since almost half a decade ago and will be a premium product targeting a larger audience instead of only gamers. Various recent rumors have been whirring around the community regarding Apple’s mixed reality headset; it is currently named Reality Pro by the community as per official trademarks.

According to the latest report by Bloomberg, a January 2023 reveal was rumored for the headset’s announcement by the giant company, but that timeline was eventually skipped following an internal delay in favor of the upcoming spring.

Major Rundown

• As per the latest report, Apple’s Reality Pro headset will be unveiled in the upcoming spring before WWDC in June instead of the planned January reveal. Moreover, its sales will likely go live later this year, somewhere around the fall.
• Third-party apps are already in the brewer for the mixed reality device, as a few developers are testing out the prototype to fix the lingering issues. Apple will seemingly reveal its new mixed reality headset as its central product for 2023.
• The rumored attributes include the latest perks like leg tracking, hand tracking, face tracking, eye tracking, iris scanning, and its own version of Metaverse.
• It is a premium product that is not likely targeting gamers, and its price further corroborates its business and commercial niches. It evidently lies between the $2000 to $3000 price window, which is far ahead of the other contenders in the market.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, in the latest Power On newsletter, articulates that Apple is planning to reveal its anticipated AR/VR headset product in this year’s spring before WWDC rolls around in June. The headset will officially be revealed by Apple following its sale evidently going live around fall or later this year.

Moreover, third-party apps for the prominent mixed reality headset are already underway by “high-profile software developers.” According to Mark, the prototype device has already been shared with a small number of developers for testing purposes.

However, Apple is still invested in squashing the remaining impediments in its mixed reality headset “involving hardware, software and services, as well as how it will be marketed and sold;” it is by no means fully developed to be sold at this point.

The company is reportedly going to unveil the headset as its primary product this year. To ensure its success, and to fully capitalize from its marketing capabilities, Apply has seemingly gathered most of its resources to fully invest in the new alluring AR/VR Reality Pro headset.

Reality Pro’s exclusive operating system’s public name will be “xrOS,” ditching the internal term Borealis. It is catered toward a broader audience involving business and commercial niches. The direction implies that Apple may not be focusing on the gaming community for its premium-priced headset.

It is not to say that Reality Pro will not be able to alternate for a gaming device, but its rumored-high price will leave it out of reach for most games. It has been previously reported that the Headset will allegedly lie between the $2000 to $3000 price window, which stands further ahead of its PlayStation and Oculus counterparts.

Moreover, Prior rumors have affirmed that the headset is aiming to reach production figures of 750,000, with its mass production beginning in March 2023 by Apple’s partner Pegatron. Additionally, it will be fueled by the company’s own M2 chip included in the recent Macbooks, as per a report by The Information.

The rumored features include cutting-edge technologies like leg tracking, hand tracking, face tracking, eye tracking, and iris scanning for logins and payments. Some fables have also suggested that Apple is creating its own version of Metaverse for its Reality Pro headset to compete with the competition.

Apple’s new headset is expected to lead the AR/VR devices technology into the future. Apple’s approaching VR/AR headset could be the one to rule them all. 

What are your thoughts about the alluring Apple mixed reality headset possibly being announced in just a few more months? Do you think the latest headset with a supposedly high price will target the gaming community as its main focus? Do let us know your opinions in the comments below.