Following the launch of the Apple Watch in 2015, the next generation of Apple's "most important single product" is expected to be created in the metasverse.
Last week, Apple executives demonstrated to the board a "MR, Mixed Reality" headset that combines virtual Reality (VR) and augmented Reality (AR), suggesting the device is in advanced development, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
Apple has also accelerated development in recent weeks of rOS, short for Reality Operating System, which could be incorporated into headsets, people familiar with the matter said. The rapid progress of the system also suggests that what is likely to be called Apple Glass, known internally as N301, could be the "most important single product" in the coming months.
This new product is a big deal for Apple. It would give the company a chance to expand its hardware business, which accounts for 80 percent of its annual sales, as well as enter the nascent circuit of MR headsets. It would also provide a boost to the company's stock, which has been Mired in a bear market in technology.
So, what about this "most important item"?
All things considered, the N301 will have an advanced processor on par with the homegrown M1 chip used in the latest Version of the Mac, as well as a super-high-resolution screen. The home-grown chips will be one of the main differences between Apple and its rivals' devices, and the display will feature an "innovative three-view configuration" consisting of two Micro OLED displays and an AMOLED panel, as well as more than a dozen sensors (including cameras) to enable advanced features such as environment and gesture detection.
In December, Ming ð ¹ (Ming-Chi Kuo), an apple analyst with a reputation for predicting new products, said the upcoming MR headset would be the "first generation" and weigh between 300 and 400 grams, which would be significant compared to existing VR headsets on the market But Apple is "already working on a second-generation headset design" that will be lighter and have an updated industrial design, as well as a new battery system and a faster processor.
Notably, the N301 may have an "outward-facing screen" that shows the wearer's eyes and facial expressions.
It's an "open secret" in the industry that Apple doesn't want to make a MR headset in the future, but a standalone, lightweight AR virtual reality glasses.
Jony Ive, Apple's former lead designer, worries that VR will isolate users from the outside world, alienate them from others and lack practical use. Apple's industrial designers are also not convinced that consumers will want to wear an intrusive headset for long.
Apple inside the ultimate solution is, suggest increase cameras in the front of the head device, in order to wear equipment can see a person's environment, and wore a device to join "facing the external screen", can display the wearer to others eyes and facial expressions of video image, to achieve the user interaction and collaboration with other people.
Apple seems to be more focused on the concept of AR, which is closely connected to the real world, than Meta, who likes VR.
Bloomberg previously reported that Apple had planned to officially "announce" and introduce the device at the company's WORLDWIDE Developers Conference, WWDC, in June, but the launch could be delayed due to technical challenges such as content and overheating. Apple is widely expected to make an "official announcement" sometime between the fall of 2022 and the summer of 2023, before officially going on sale to consumers in 2023.
The consensus on Wall Street is for a sale price "well above $1,000," with a possible range of $2,000 to $3,000.