Apple Reportedly Completes Production Tests for AR/VR Headset
Apple has completed key production tests for its long-rumored augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) headset, according to DigiTimes.
Citing information from the headset's component suppliers, the device has reportedly completed second-phase engineering validation tests (EVT 2) to ensure that prototype units meet Apple's design goals and specifications.
DigiTimes added that the headset is expected to debut by the end of 2022.
The preliminary information was shared in DigiTimes' paywalled "Before Going to Press" section, so there are no further details yet. The full report should be published by tomorrow, potentially with more information.
While Apple's headset was widely believed to be scheduled to launch this year, a recent report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman cast doubt on the chances of the device emerging this year due to development problems.
Nevertheless, Apple's headset project is said to be "approaching liftoff," with the device mirroring the development timeline of the Apple Watch in the period before its launch. Apple's work on the headset's operating system, realityOS, has been rumored since 2017, but the existence of the operating system was recently confirmed when references to it were found in App Store upload logs and Apple open source code. DigiTimes' latest report is yet another sign that Apple's headset is ebbing closer to mass production, even if the timeframe for the device's announcement now seems to be vaguely situated somewhere in 2022 or 2023.
The headset is rumored to feature a lightweight design, two 4K micro-OLED displays, 15 optical modules, two main processors, Wi-Fi 6E connectivity, eye tracking, a see-through AR mode, object tracking, hand gesture controls, and more. The device's exact price point is as yet unclear, but some reports indicate that it could cost customers around $3,000. For more detailed information, see our comprehensive roundup.
Popular Stories
Apple is set to unveil iOS 18 during its WWDC keynote on June 10, so the software update is a little over six weeks away from being announced. Below, we recap rumored features and changes planned for the iPhone with iOS 18. iOS 18 will reportedly be the "biggest" update in the iPhone's history, with new ChatGPT-inspired generative AI features, a more customizable Home Screen, and much more....
Apple today released several open source large language models (LLMs) that are designed to run on-device rather than through cloud servers. Called OpenELM (Open-source Efficient Language Models), the LLMs are available on the Hugging Face Hub, a community for sharing AI code. As outlined in a white paper [PDF], there are eight total OpenELM models, four of which were pre-trained using the...
Apple has announced it will be holding a special event on Tuesday, May 7 at 7 a.m. Pacific Time (10 a.m. Eastern Time), with a live stream to be available on Apple.com and on YouTube as usual. The event invitation has a tagline of "Let Loose" and shows an artistic render of an Apple Pencil, suggesting that iPads will be a focus of the event. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more ...
Best Buy is discounting a collection of M3 MacBook Pro computers today, this time focusing on the 14-inch version of the laptop. Every deal in this sale requires you to have a My Best Buy Plus or Total membership, although non-members can still get solid second-best prices on these MacBook Pro models. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best Buy. When you click a link and make a...
There are widespread reports of Apple users being locked out of their Apple ID overnight for no apparent reason, requiring a password reset before they can log in again. Users say the sudden inexplicable Apple ID sign-out is occurring across multiple devices. When they attempt to sign in again they are locked out of their account and asked to reset their password in order to regain access. ...
Apple used to regularly increase the base memory of its Macs up until 2011, the same year Tim Cook was appointed CEO, charts posted on Mastodon by David Schaub show. Earlier this year, Schaub generated two charts: One showing the base memory capacities of Apple's all-in-one Macs from 1984 onwards, and a second depicting Apple's consumer laptop base RAM from 1999 onwards. Both charts were...
Concept render based on 
Top Rated Comments
I have a feeling the first AR/VR sets won’t yet know what their killer feature or use case is. They’ll pitch it as one thing, but a few years in people will show the tech giants what these things are really for and the companies who adapt the quickest will rise to the top and dominate the industry.
If pricing rumors are true, it needs to bring something very desirable. For example, I just spent over $2K on a widescreen, high-resolution monitor for my next Desktop. There's some believing this product could virtualize ANY size monitor so your "big"/"best" monitor could always be with you. If so and if it works well (no headaches), I'd much rather have shot that $2K towards THIS instead.
My last big screen TV cost much more than the rumored price. If this could allow me to bring an equivalent big screen TV with me when traveling, I could rationalize a pretty good outlay for it.
The question will be: if something can fool your eyes into seeing ANYTHING, what anythings are worth whatever the actual MSRP will be? That's not a hard list to make. For example, sports fans might pay upwards of several thousand dollars for court-side seats to ONE game. A service that creates a realistic sense of sitting front-row center for any sporting event/show/etc seems like it would easily sell for several thousand dollars plus an ongoing service fee.
Peloton gets about $50/month so that you can ride a bike with instructors through a variety of places in 2D. If you could feel much more like actually being in those places (if you could look side to side and even behind you and see that you are THERE, is that not worth at least the same subscription cost? If so, how much is 2-3 years of that kind of experience worth?
Exercise/Dine with celebrities? Turn staycations into something that feels much more like true vacations? Go to a "live" Beatles concert in approx. 1963? Go be a part of ANY historical event that can be rendered for this? Lunch on the moon? (Superman) fly around anywhere? Swim down to check out Titanic first hand (and not be crushed by the pressures). Etc.
Many of us seem to only think gaming and that this is going to have to deliver a way for us to slice boxes flying at us in 3D upwards of 4X-6X better than Oculus. But gaining control of what our eyes see and what our ears hear has tons of possibilities far beyond what we've seen so far.
As others say, the software will make this sale. If the software dazzles, the demand will be there.
And ahead of the holidays would be perfect timing.