Apple Headset to Use 'New Proprietary Charging Connector' for External Battery

Apple's mixed reality headset will have two ports including a USB-C interface for data transfer and a new proprietary charging connector for the external battery, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

apple mixed reality headset concept by david lewis and marcus kane

Apple mixed reality headset concept by David Lewis and Marcus Kane

Most AR/VR headsets on the market have an integrated battery, but reports suggest that Apple's headset will connect to a separate, external battery that is worn at the waist, which allows the headset to be lighter and more comfortable.

Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman revealed that the charging cable that goes from the battery pack into the headset has a round tip that inserts magnetically.

According to Gurman, the round tip must be rotated clockwise to lock it in so that it doesn't fall out during use, while "the cable itself connects to the battery pack, and those two pieces aren't separable."

The external battery pack is said to look like an iPhone MagSafe battery pack and is "about the size of an iPhone but thicker," reports Gurman. It is designed to be charged via USB-C, and can be powered up using the same adapter included with the MacBook Pro.

The battery will power the headset for approximately two hours, and it will be able to be swapped out for continuous usage while a second battery charges. Given the short battery life, the presumption is that Apple will offer additional battery packs for sale separately.

Apple's headset is rumored to be called "Reality One" or "Reality Pro" and is expected to debut at WWDC in June, along with xrOS, Apple's new mixed-reality operating system. For more information on the purported features of the headset, be sure to check out our most recent breakdown.

Related Roundup: AR/VR Headset

Top Rated Comments

howywood Avatar
5 weeks ago
God damn you, Tim Apple and your gaslighting about being an environmentally friendly company.
Score: 38 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Macropanda Avatar
5 weeks ago
How very Apple. Of course they couldn't just add a usb-c port for power and leave it at that.
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TSE Avatar
5 weeks ago
Of course. They want you to buy the Apple $99 battery. Not the USB-C one on Amazon for $30.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cardfan Avatar
5 weeks ago
So much flop in this one. Swim googles. Battery pack belt. 2 hour battery life. Lol.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
vertsix Avatar
5 weeks ago

yea like Steve Apple was not..he started this
Steve started this because USB 1.0 back in the day were worse than FireWire or 30-pin connectors for iPod.

Lightning, similarly, was designed because microUSB sucked.

Now, there's no excuse to continue this *******y. USB-C is a sufficiently acceptable connector with lots of flexibility, in performance and reliability.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Skyscraperfan Avatar
5 weeks ago
If you use it at home, why would you use a battery which will degrade with every circle. Why can't it be plugged in like a notebook? It would annoy me to change the battery after two hours.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)