APPLE will launch its mixed reality headset sometime this year, according to new reports.
The tech giant has unveiled its upcoming VR/AR headset to its company’s board of executives, per Bloomberg.
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Comprising eight independent directors and Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook, the board meets at least four times a year to discuss product development.
Apple’s new product will run on rOS – or reality operating system – according to Bloomberg and other experts.
In January, iOS developer Rens Verhoeven spotted a reference to “realityOS” in App Store upload logs.
“Uh, what is Apple’s RealityOS doing in the App Store upload logs? AR/VR confirmed?” he asked in a tweet.
The advancement of Apple’s reality operating system these past few months indicates that the headset might drop sometime soon.
With the metaverse taking over the tech world, releasing virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) headsets seems like the next logical step for major tech players, and Apple is clearly no exception.
In fact, the device would mark the company’s first major new product since the Apple Watch in 2015.
The iPhone manufacturer has plans to unveil the device to the public sometime this year, according to experts.
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Here’s a round-up of features the product might come equipped with.
It might use Memoji for FaceTime
Memoji (Apple’s version of personalized Animojis) could be an integral part of the Facetime experience on the mixed-reality headset, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.
Gurman has written in his Power On newsletter that he expects Memoji in realityOS as it could make Facetime a reality on the device.
“I imagine a virtual reality version of FaceTime where you can be in a conference room with dozens of people. Instead of seeing their actual faces, you’ll see 3D versions of them (Memojis),” Gurman wrote.
“I assume the headset will be able to determine a person’s facial expressions in real-time, making the experience fairly lifelike,” he added.
It might utilize SharePlay
Gurman also noted in his newsletter that group entertainment will likely be a thing on the long-rumored device via SharePlay.
“I would also look for heavy use of SharePlay in the new realityOS, allowing multiple headset wearers to experience music, movies, and games together,” he wrote.
It will likely be expensive
The rumored price tag on the device is upwards of $2,000 due to the technology it would employ, according to Gurman.
The Bloomberg journalist believes that the device will likely not require a host device, and may also feature at least 15 camera modules, eye-tracking, and possibly iris recognition.
Though the device would technically be a VR headset by design, it could possess an AR passthrough via cameras.
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