The failure of the AirPower charging mat, a cushion capable of simultaneously charging iPhone, AirPods, and Apple Watch announced before it was abandoned, is still on people’s minds. And more than ever Apple is careful not to advance marbles before the arrival of new products. As always, one would be tempted to say. The mixed or virtual reality headset, or even the augmented reality glasses that should accompany it, have never been mentioned in the mouths of Cupertino connoisseurs.
Officially, none of these projects exist or are about to happen. Radio silence. Rumors speak better of it. However, the famous helmet has never been so close to pointing the end of its screens. But this would not be the case of the other project carried out internally, the augmented reality glasses.
For years now, the leaked information sometimes speaks of a virtual reality headset a la Meta Quest, sometimes it refers to augmented reality glasses, or finally to a reality product that mixes the two and ends up confusing the mind. of people. Everything that was filtered up to now seemed clear taking each element separately -and coordinating those that can: there would be two products in the drawers-.
The preference for augmented reality, but later
But according to Bloomberghis augmented reality glasses, a technology that would have Tim Cook’s Preferences, would be stopped or, at least, delayed. This is also due to Apple’s desire to bet everything on mixed reality headsets will be introduced in spring.
The latter would present much more potential and possibilities for the brand, which wants to make it an asset both for gaming and for working and multitasking in an environment that mixes the virtual and the real, without ever mentioning the metaverse, a borderline word prohibited in Cupertino. .
AR glasses would offer less versatility, but more specific uses for everyday life, education, and productivity. It is also a booming market with the arrival of many players such as TCL, which presented its new RayNeo X2 prototype at CES 2023, Oppo, which presented a monocular that offers in particular the possibility of instant multilingual translation, or again the Magic Leap 2 that he wants to shine in the operating rooms.
A mixed reality headset at a bargain price in sight
According to bloomberg, to make up for the AR headset’s delay, Apple would have bet all its chips on another horse: a bargain-priced mixed-reality headset. One way to counteract a possible Achilles heel of the flagship, the price. Various rumors announce a price positioning of 3,000 euros for the brand’s mixed reality glasses. Therefore, it would be fashionable, to democratize virtual reality a little more, for Apple to offer a device that responds more to a “reasonable” budget.
Informationtransmitted by 9to5Mac, thus evokes a report delivered to Apple that would show that the whispered price would be too high for many, at the cost of turning the newcomer into a failure. And the consequence with the thinking heads of Cupertino would be to revise the price significantly downward, around 1,200 to 1,800 euros, the price of the iPhone Pro Max. All for a less efficient hull than expected, but nevertheless high-flying.
The specialized media thus advance less efficient screens than those announced in micro-LED, fewer sensors (disappearance of LiDAR) or high-end finishes, a less efficient processor. The helmet could arrive as soon as 2025.
Source: BFM TV
