It’s a slow time in the world of gadgets and consumer technology, a product purgatory between CES and phone announcement season, resulting in a dearth of device news. For now, there’s only one thing to do in this week’s roundup of gadget news: dip into the well of rumors and find out what Apple is up to.
New details have once again surfaced about Apple’s current plans for an AR/VR headset and mixed reality ecosystem. Apple’s vision for its most anticipated device in years is becoming clearer, thanks to reports from Bloomberg and The Information.
Apple seems interested in creating a device that replicates its iOS mobile experience in a virtual or augmented realm. The headset, which Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman says will likely be called the Reality Pro and will be released later this year, will use internal and external cameras to track eye and hand movements so you can mess around with AR objects that are projected into real space . This will enable AR FaceTime calls with realistic video playback of the person wearing the headset. This will reportedly work for one-on-one calls, where calls with multiple people will display everyone as Apple’s slightly creepy Animoji cartoons.
Apple is also quietly creating an AR software environment in which it and other companies can build apps. Apple has apparently used technologies commonly used in video games, such as procedural generation, to create virtual environments such as a meditation garden and even an interactive Dr. The story of Seuss .
The headset will reportedly cost around $3,000, with cheaper models slated for release in 2024 or 2025.
