The company is developing glasses of mixed reality – with the help of cameras they will transmit video of the real world to the user and supplement it with elements of the virtual one, writes The Information, citing sources familiar with the development. It can be released as early as 2022.
The headset, codenamed N301, will have more than a dozen cameras for hand, eye and video tracking, an ultra-high-resolution 8K display, and eye-tracking technology. The glasses completely block out the peripheral vision to prevent outside light from entering the user’s field of view, said a source familiar with the product.
Apple is developing several technologies to control the headset; for example, the company may provide a thimble for a finger, the newspaper writes. It is unknown if Apple plans to ship this device with the glasses or sell it separately.
The publication looked at Apple’s internal images, in which the prototype of 2020 is visible: they show replaceable headbands. The information has recreated the prototype image.
Apple’s headset will cost more than most competitors. In 2020, the company discussed a possible price of $ 3,000, the source said. Prices for Facebook’s Oculus VR headsets, Sony’s PlayStation VR headsets range from $ 300 to $ 1,000, but Microsoft’s HoloLens mixed reality headset costs around $ 3,500.
Due to the high price, the company assumes a limited number of deliveries – only about 250 thousand headset units in the first year of release, but plans may change, the source said. In January, Bloomberg sources spoke about this – they said that Apple is unlikely to sell more than one device a day in each of its stores.
It is not yet clear for whom the device is designed and for what purpose people will use it, writes The Information. The company is likely to focus on games, but users will also have access to applications to improve productivity and education according to the source. The publication notes that this is still a young niche, and it is unclear how fast the number of customers will grow.
The company turned to Taiwanese Pegatron, which produces iPhones and iPads for Apple, to assemble the headset, the source said. However, the product is complex and risky so that Apple could delay its release.
An Apple spokesman declined to comment on this information. Pegatron did not respond to a request for comment.
According to the publication, Apple is also working on a pair of smart glasses designed to superimpose virtual objects on a person’s real world. The device may come out in 2023 – now it has serious technical problems.