Apple’s first VR/AR headset will cost $3,000.
As anticipated in the past by numerous rumors, it now seems certain that Apple’s first headset for mixed reality will not be a product intended for consumers.
As anticipated in the past by numerous rumors, it now seems certain that Apple’s first headset for mixed reality will not be a product intended for consumers. Apple’s VR/AR viewer will be dedicated to companies and developers.
According to The Information, it will be a product conceptually very similar to Microsoft’s Hololens 2, in turn sold through B2B channels to companies and institutions.
However, we know that Apple is working on augmented and virtual reality products for the general public and therefore with a more accessible price. They will come out later in the next few years.
Also according to The Information, the viewer will mount two specific chips: a SoC that combines CPU and GPU and an ISP, i.e. a processor dedicated to image processing. Both will be made on a 5nm manufacturing process.
Curiously, the battery will not be integrated inside the viewer – in order to make it more comfortable and lighter – but it will be worn at the waist and can be easily replaced during longer use sessions. A switch on the right side of the headset will allow you to quickly switch between virtual reality and augmented reality modes.
A system of spare lenses will then facilitate the use of the visor for people who suffer from myopia and need to wear glasses. The two displays, one for each eye, will be micro OLED and overall will offer an 8K resolution.
There may also be an external display, which will allow the user’s facial expressions to be shown outside, in order to reduce their isolation from the rest of the world.
We then come to the sore point, the price: according to The Intercept, the viewer will be offered at a starting price close to $3,000.
