Apple is unusually very secretive in the run-up to unveiling a new product, but a new hint from the tech giant suggests something major is afoot.
The company has shared the schedule for this year’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) at Apple Park in California, which runs from June 5-9.
According to an invitee who received the schedule, day one of the event will include a ‘Special Evening Activity’ that Apple said attendees ‘won’t want to miss’.
There will also be a smaller event on Tuesday for visitors to ‘discuss some of the latest announcements’ with Apple execs, the company said.
It’s already thought Apple will be unveiling its long-awaited mixed reality headset at the event, which will display apps, messages and more in front of people’s eyes.
According to one of the invitees, Paul Hudson, day one of the event will include a ‘Special Evening Activity’ Apple said attendees ‘won’t want to miss’
Apple has already posted about a ‘Special Event at Apple Park’ on the first day, described as a ‘special all-day experience’ to kick off ‘an incredible week’
Apple confirmed the dates for WWDC in March but didn’t make any official mention of the headset in the announcement.
However, the new schedule, shared by British coder Paul Hudson on Twitter, reveals fresh details about the opening day, including the keynote at 10am PT (6pm BST), followed by tours of Apple HQ in the afternoon.
Although Hudson’s screenshot of the schedule doesn’t reveal the full details, the day will culminate with the ‘Special Evening Activity’ with food and beverages provided, according to The Apple Post.
The Special Evening Activity may act as the official launch party for its new wearable.
Apple has already posted about a ‘Special Event at Apple Park’ on the first day, described as a ‘special all-day experience’ to kick off ‘an incredible week’.
The five-day event will be presented online, although there will be an opportunity for ‘developers and students to celebrate in person at a special experience’ hosted at Apple Park, the firm’s Cupertino HQ, on opening day.
‘WWDC23 is going to be our biggest and most exciting yet, and we can’t wait to see many of you online and in person at this very special event!’ Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations, said back in March.
At WWDC this year, Apple is expected to announce the next major software updates for its devices – iOS 17, iPadOS 17, watchOS 10 and macOS, for iPhones, iPads, smartwatches and Mac computers, respectively.
But by far the most anticipated announcement is the headset, which is rumoured to be called ‘Reality Pro’ or ‘Reality One’ and cost a whopping $3,000 (£2,400).
Apple’s cryptic promo image for WWDC this year features curving coloured lines – a possible reference to the wearable.
Expected to be called ‘Reality Pro’, the headset will transport notifications, messages, directions and more from your iPhone to in front of your eyes (MailOnline’s impression)
A glimpse of the new headset? A cryptic promo image for Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) this year features curving coloured lines
It’s already known that WWDC will kick off on Monday, June 5, but the tech giant has revealed a schedule of how the day will play out
Official details about Apple’s device are scarce, but it’s believed it will display notifications, messages, directions and more in front of the wearer’s eyes.
And it appears that some people have already got to try it; earlier this week, US entrepreneur and virtual reality enthusiast Palmer Luckey said it is ‘so good’.
Luckey, who sold his VR firm Oculus to Meta for $3 billion (£2.4 billion) in 2014 at the age of 21, posted the brief teaser in a tweet on Sunday.
Publicly, Apple has made no acknowledgement of the upcoming device, but its existence is an open secret within the tech industry.
A US leaker called Mark Gurman, who has been drip-feeding information about it in his weekly newsletter for months, says it could ‘replace the iPhone’.
Following its unveiling on June 5, Reality Pro will be released to stores in September, around the same time as the company’s next iPhone, Gurman has said.
The headset ‘will start at around $3,000’, which is around twice as much as some of the priciest smartphones on the market now.
Reality Pro is expected to come with its own operating system, xrOS, which will host familiar Apple apps including FaceTime, Messages and Maps.
Gurman thinks the headset will be launched with a new portal for watching sports in VR as part of Apple’s push into streaming live games and news.
There will also be advanced videoconferencing and virtual meeting rooms with realistic avatars, making users feel like they’re interacting in the same place.
Luckey, who sold his firm Oculus to Meta for $3billion in 2014 at the age of 21, simply said in a tweet: ‘The Apple headset is so good’
30-year-old Palmer Luckey – who has developed a reputation for turning up to tech conferences wearing Hawaiian shirts and shorts – said Apple’s new device is ‘so good’
Just like the iPhone and the Apple Watch, the headset will be followed by new updated iterations in the following years.
While Gurman thinks the first version will be a ‘dud’ in terms of sales compared with the company’s existing hardware, future versions will likely do better as the product finds its niche.
For now, Apple will have to explain to consumers why they’d want to own such a device and how it’s an improvement over the likes of iPhone and iPad.
With Reality Pro, Apple is ‘preparing for a future beyond the iPhone and iPad’ – but execs are ‘clear-eyed about Apple’s challenges pushing into this new market’.
Apple’s Technology Development Group – the team behind its mixed-reality efforts – has discreetly shown the product to the company’s top decision-makers every year since 2018, Gurman added.
But earlier demos were lower-key affairs compared to one in March, which was ‘Apple’s biggest showcase’ prior to the official launch.
According to another leaker, Ming-Chi Kuo, the Apple headset will be marketed as an iPhone accessory and the two will need to be linked up.
Even so, the headset will contain sensors and its own processors – one ‘similar’ those used in its Mac computers and iPads, and another to manage ‘sensor-related aspects.
Rival tech firms such as Meta and Google have already launched AR or VR headsets, Pictured, Meta’s Quest Pro VR headset
Rival tech firms such as Meta, Samsung and Microsoft have already launched AR or VR headsets, but Reality Pro is expected to be more like using a smartphone, except it’s over your eyes.
Last autumn, Meta launched its $1,499 mixed reality Meta Quest Pro VR headset, which boasts new features that are meant to improve users’ perception of actually being in the presence of others.
However, Meta Quest Pro VR is mostly targeted at professionals in creative fields, businesses and enthusiasts, so it shouldn’t be a direct rival for Reality Pro.
Other big sellers in the space are the HTC Vive brand, owned by Taiwanese firm HTC, Samsung Gear VR and Microsoft’s mixed reality HoloLens headset – but these are quite bulky devices that target mostly gamers or professionals.
Why is Apple releasing a mixed reality headset?
Apple has long been rumoured to be developing an AR wearable; the tech giant filed a patent in 2019 that gives a glimpse into what it may be developing behind closed doors.
But work on the headset has been going on for the best part of a decade.
According to Gurman, Reality Pro could be the next major platform beyond the iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch, which was first released to much hype back in 2015.
Mark Gurman has called the June 5 launch ‘one of the most critical events in the company’s history’ and an opportunity ‘to herald a post-iPhone era’.
With Reality Pro, Apple is ‘preparing for a future beyond the iPhone and iPad’ – but execs are ‘clear-eyed about Apple’s challenges pushing into this new market’.
While Gurman thinks the first version will be a ‘dud’ in terms of sales compared with the company’s existing hardware, future versions will likely do better as the product finds its place.
For now, Apple will have to explain to consumers why they’d want to own such a device and how it’s an improvement over the likes of iPhone and iPad.
Paolo Pescatore, analyst at PP Foresight, said the device will appeal to loyal fans and those who want ‘an immersive experience in areas such as games and live events’.
Apple has long been rumoured to be developing an AR wearable. The tech giant filed a patent in 2019 (pictured) that gives a glimpse into what it may be developing behind closed doors
But among the general public, adoption and awareness of AR and VR technologies ‘remains lackluster’ and could hamper sales of the headset.
‘The device will provide a much needed boost and reignite interest in the virtual and augmented reality market,’ Pescatore told MailOnline.
‘Ultimately this is still at early stage and has some way to go before its mass market and widely accepted.
‘People are not rushing out of their seats to buy a VR headset or even watch 360 degree videos.’
Pescatore also said Apple ‘cannot solely rely on the iPhone forever’ given intense competition from rival firms in new product categories such as foldable devices.
‘The company has placed strong focus on the iPhone as a gateway to the Apple universe,’ he said. ‘This might suggest it is behind the curve on new hardware.’
