Apple gives a preview of its Metaverse headset

Apple has been developing a Metaverse-compatible headset. Recent reports state that it offered a preview of the headset to its board of directors and indicated that the development of the device has reached an advanced state of development. 

In the past few weeks, Apple has also been working on the development of rOS (reality operating system), which is the software that will operate on the headset. This progress, combined with the preview for the board of directors suggests the  product could hit the market as soon as the next few months. 

The headset is Apple’s next biggest product since its Apple Watch in 2015. According to a report from The Information, the headset is a mixed-reality headset that will feature two 8k displays, over a dozen cameras for hand-tracking. It will run on the Apple M2 chip and could support Wi-Fi 6E to provide larger bandwidth and low latency connectivity. The headset will be sold for US$ 4,000.

According to a newsletter from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the headset will focus on short stints of communication, content browsing and gaming and that Apple has rejected the idea of an all-virtual world for the headset. 

According to findings by Vox Media product manager Parker Ortolani, a company, Realityo Systems LLC filed for two trademarks at the US Patent & Trademark Office for categories such as ‘peripherals’, ‘software’, and ‘wearable computer hardware’. 

Curiously enough, RealityO Systems shares the same address as Yosemite Research LLC, one of Apple's shell companies that Apple used to obtain trademarks for its past versions of the macOS operating system such as macOS Monterey.

Apple has yet to make any announcement related to the product, but some experts predict that the headset will be released this year, while others are convinced about a 2023 release. The headset would be the company's latest product since Apple Watch. Market analysts suggest that the device's price could be around US$ 3000.

When Apple eventually launches its headset, it will be stepping into a market largely dominated by Meta, which has already staked its claim as the leading brand in metaverse tech with the Oculus headset.

Apple would also have to watch out for other companies trying to move in on the sector. One of these is the Taiwanese tech company HTC which announced its new ‘Metaverse phone,’ supposedly compatible with its VIVE VR headset and its overall ‘VIVERSE’ ecosystem.

Google is also eyeing the space, evident by its launch of its own AR-enabled smart glasses,  dubbed Google Glass. Recently, it has also announced that it is adding a new Web3 department to its Cloud division.

Photo: Future