The management of Apple has reportedly showed off its upcoming mixed-reality AR/VR headset to its board of directors. While the event may indicate that Apple may announce the upcoming headset at its WWDC conference in June, it also indicates that the product is nearing its completion stage for the market.
This is not the first time that Apple would reveal its upcoming product to company directors before its release. The company gave its directors an early demo of Siri shortly before its final release in 2011. The board members also reviewed the Apple Watch in 2014 before its release in 2015. And the board equally got demos of the AR/VR headset in 2016 in readiness for its eventual release any time soon.
The mixed-reality headset is built for augmented and virtual reality experiences, but insiders said Apple is still working to fine-tune its operating system. The OS referred to as “Reality OS” or “rOS” will determine the ultimate features that will run on the device. Analysts said the company is coming up last with the OS because of the risk of software leaks, which could mar any product announcement.
While analysts believe the upcoming AR/VR headset can hit the market late this year or early 2023, they said the device will “use cameras on its exterior to stream images to high-resolution displays on the inside of the virtual reality headset” in what is technically called “pass-through”. Industry watchers said it may weigh slightly more than a pair of eyeglasses and come with transparent lenses.
Tech analysts also speculate that the price will be around $3,000 even though this is highly exorbitant compared to the latest iPhone models. Meta’s current VR headset, Quest, retails for $300; and Google is also working on releasing its own smart glasses which are capable of translating foreign languages in real-time.