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Augmented Reality (AR)

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Augmented Reality (AR) is mixing real-world images with artificial ones in real time – sometimes also known as Mixed Reality. This contrasts with Virtual Reality (VR) where the entire image is artificial.

AR has been around for literally decades, but hasn’t yet become a mainstream technology. Google tried to change this with Project Tango, but this required special hardware and didn’t catch on. All this looks set to change, however, with Apple’s promotion of the technology.

Apple has released ARKit, a platform that allows developers to easily create augmented reality apps, and is expected to make this a major focus of the iPhone 8 launch. Google later switched to the same approach, with ARCore.

Although Tim Cook says that Apple is much more excited about AR than VR, Apple is not entirely ignoring the latter. High Sierra is the first version of macOS with support for VR, and Apple has said that it will integrate with Valve, so should be compatible with existing VR headsets like the HTC Vive.

 

Meta Glasses expected to be revealed in the fall, but not go on sale for years

Meta Glasses expected to be revealed in the fall | Mark Zuckerberg wearing "Deal With It" meme sunglasses.

Apple and Meta won’t just be competing with their VR headsets – they are also likely to be gearing up for a later battle between Apple Glasses and Meta Glasses.

While both devices are believed to be years from launch, a new report today says that we’ll get a sneak peek at Meta Glasses later this year …

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Vision Pro competition heating up, with Sony announcing its own device

Sony offering Vision Pro competition (headset pictured)

We saw the first potential Vision Pro competitor yesterday, in the form of the $699 Xreal Air 2 Ultra – and Sony has also now announced its own device. Interestingly, it doesn’t yet appear to have a name.

As with the Xreal glasses, how much competition the Sony headset will pose to Vision Pro depends on who would be buying it, and for what reason …

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Could books that come to life be a cool Vision Pro experience?

A cool Vision Pro experience or not | An AR book viewed through Magic Leap 2

A studio that adapted Jim Henson’s The Storyteller: The Seven Ravens into an augmented reality experience for the Magic Leap 2 believes that combining a physical book with AR content could make a cool Vision Pro experience.

Rather than the purely virtual book brought to life in Magic Leap, the studio sees the potential for using Vision Pro’s high-resolution passthrough feature to create something truly special …

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Apple Vision diary: Trying the $6,500 Varjo XR-3, to get a better sense of Vision Pro

Varjo XR-3 demo

There aren’t many cases of another company charging more than Apple for a similar product, but the Varjo XR-3 mixed-reality headset is a rare example.

Not having been one of the chosen few to be invited to try Vision Pro (was it something I said?), I took advantage of an invitation to try what Varjo believes is the most advanced mixed-reality device available. In particular, I wanted to see whether it could change my view of the tech as something that doesn’t yet justify the steep price-tag when it comes to my own needs

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Vision Pro safe area limited to 10×10 feet for VR experiences [U]

Vision Pro safe area | Front-facing cameras shown

Apple has limited a Vision Pro safe area to 10 feet by 10 feet, when using fully immersive VR experiences. It follows earlier news of a speed limit when using the device.

The limit is likely designed to prevent the sort of virtual reality headset accidents frequently seen in YouTube videos, but some are saying that it might prove too limiting for some types of gameplay, as well as proving a significant limitation for some commercial and industrial uses …

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$3500 Vision Pro will help sell $6500 XR-3, believe experts

$3500 Vision Pro will help sell $6500 XR-3 | Headset on left, VR military jet cockpit on right

The announcement of the $3500 Vision Pro starting price didn’t go down well with those in the keynote audience, but a company which makes an even more expensive mixed-reality headset believes that Apple’s entry into the field is a good thing for its own prospects.

Varjo’s XR-3 VR/AR headset comes in at an even more eye-watering $6500, but the company claims that it welcomes the competition …

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Apple headset is ‘the single greatest thing that could happen to this industry’

Apple headset render

There are very mixed views as to whether the Apple headset and its successors can be the device to transform AR/VR from a niche interest to a mass-market product. But a report today says that those working within the sector firmly believe that it can.

Oculus founder Palmer Lucky said last month that the Apple headset is “so good,” and others in the business are said to be “jubilant” at today’s announcement …

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I won’t be buying Reality Pro; a 3rd-gen device, probably

I won't be buying Reality Pro | 9to5Mac render

I won’t be buying Reality Pro. That’s partly down to the anticipated price, but also because I haven’t yet found either augmented or virtual reality to be in any way compelling.

Cute, yes. Impressive, also yes. But I can’t remember the last time I used an AR app, and while I did buy a VR headset, I also can’t remember the last time I dug it out of the back of a drawer …

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Oppo MR headset announced just days before Reality Pro – but only for developers

Oppo MR headset

Just a few days before Apple officially unveils Reality Pro, an Oppo MR headset has been announced – but it will only be available in China, and is aimed solely at developers.

The Oppo MR Glass Developer Edition has the same mixed-reality (MR) focus, reflected in the name, and the company’s long-term goal is very much in line as that rumored for Apple Glasses

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Spacetop AR ‘laptop’ shows potential of Apple’s Reality Goggles

Spacetop

Apple’s AR/VR headset is set to be revealed in less than a month at WWDC, yet we still know very little of how this technology will work and what Apple’s use cases will be. Interestingly, this week I got a look at what I’d consider the first applicable workplace augmented reality tech for the masses from Sightful, a company founded by former developers of Apple’s acquired PrimeSense.

I don’t think the timing was a coincidence.

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Reality Pro headset significantly compromised; top execs skeptical; Apple selling it at cost

Reality Pro headset significantly compromised | Mockup under Apple Reality wording

A new report on the upcoming Apple Reality Pro AR/VR headset says that the device is significantly compromised, compared to the company’s original vision for the device.

It also says that some top Apple execs are skeptical about the potential of the product and are distancing themselves from it. The report – based on multiple sources close to the project – said that Apple will be selling it almost at cost, in contrast to the high margins it expects from other products …

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Apple Reality Pro availability dependant on exclusive suppliers for most parts

Apple Reality Pro availability

A report on Friday suggested that initial Apple Reality Pro availability is likely to be very limited, as the Cupertino company is “anticipating some production issues” with its upcoming AR/VR headset.

A new Ming-Chi Kuo report provides a likely partial explanation for this: Apple is reportedly dependent on just one supplier for most of the key components …

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Ahead of Apple’s $3k headset, only 4% of teens who own a VR device actually use it

New 'xrOS' wordmark registered by Apple ahead of AR/VR headset announcement

A new study released by Piper Sandler reveals how teens feel about virtual reality. The data is interesting as we’re moving closer to Apple unveiling its first mixed-reality headset with a premium price. While Apple is expected to aim its first headset at developers and professionals, the lack of interest from the teen demographic – who already have a VR device – could foreshadow a challenge for adoption.

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Kuo: Mass production for Apple AR/VR headset delayed to late Q3

Apple's AR/VR headset

Respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today reports that production for Apple’s AR/VR headset has likely been delayed again. Kuo now believes that the supply chain will ramp assembly for the device in mid-to-late Q3 of this year.

The delay means Kuo now predicts only 200,000 to 300,000 units will be manufactured and shipped this year, down from original estimates that exceeded half a million units.

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Some Apple employees skeptical of AR/VR headset launch: ‘a solution in search of a problem’

Apple's AR/VR headset

In a report today from The New York Times, anonymous employees at Apple expressed their skepticism about the upcoming AR/VR headset, expected to be officially announced to the world at WWDC in June.

The NYT says that, unlike some other recent product launches, Apple has failed to rally all of its employees behind the project. Some employees have left the teams because they are not convinced the product will appeal to customers.

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Meta slashing Quest 2 and Pro prices as Apple readies its $3k headset

Meta has announced changes aiming to make its Quest 2 and Quest Pro VR headsets more enticing. The more affordable Quest 2 is dropping by $70 with the Quest Pro 2 price being slashed by $500. The news comes after Meta had a big loss for its “Reality Labs” division in 2022 and expectations for Apple to show off its first headset in June.

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Kuo: Second-generation Apple headset coming in 2025; Apple plans low-end and high-end option

New 'xrOS' wordmark registered by Apple ahead of AR/VR headset announcement

Although the first-generation Apple headset is yet to be officially announced, the rumor mill is already full-steam ahead discussing the plans for the second generation of the device.

Today, respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says that Apple expects to launch the second-generation headset in 2025. Unlike the first generation, which will only have one high-end model, the second generation will come in two models: a low-end and a high-end version.

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Apple reportedly already working with Foxconn on cheaper second-generation AR headset

Apple's rumored headset needs more than an Apple Store app in VR to become a hit

Apple is expected to unveil its first-generation AR/VR headset hardware as soon as WWDC in June. But the first-generation device is expected to be packed with cutting-edge tech, like high-res displays, and many cameras and sensors — all those premium components come at a cost. The rumored price for “Apple Reality Pro” is $2,000-$3,000.

However, the rumor mill believes that Apple is targeting a cheaper — more consumer-friendly — device for the second generation. In fact, a report from Nikkei today says that Apple is already working with Foxconn on production planning for the cheaper headset.

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Bloomberg: Apple delays AR/VR headset launch again, now expects to unveil the device at WWDC

Apple's rumored headset needs more than an Apple Store app in VR to become a hit

Apple has once again delayed its announcement event for the Apple AR/VR headset. Originally expected to debut in the spring, Bloomberg reports that Apple is now targeting its WWDC conference in June as the new date for the product’s unveiling.

That’s a delay of two months compared to the previously-rumored April release date. The headset device, likely branded the “Apple Reality Pro,” will represent Apple’s first hardware venture in the augmented reality and virtual reality market. The product has been many years in the making and has faced multiple late-stage hardware and software development setbacks in the run up to launch.

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Gurman: Apple AR/VR headset to be announced in the spring, before WWDC

Apple Mixed Reality headset

In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that Apple intends to announce its long-awaited AR/VR headset product in the spring, before WWDC in June. The device would go on sale later in the fall of 2023, matching analyst Ming-Chi Kuo’s timeline.

Gurman says prototype hardware has already been seeded to a small number of developers for testing. However, he says the device is far from finished and Apple still has to work out several “kinks” in the hardware and software.

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Kuo: Apple AR/VR headset development behind schedule, expect late fall release

New 'xrOS' wordmark registered by Apple ahead of AR/VR headset announcement

After years of speculation, it seems like 2023 is finally the time for the official reveal of the first Apple AR/VR headset. But exactly when this year remains unclear.

The latest schedule according to reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reportedly sets the headset up for a late fall release window. Kuo says software development tools and ongoing drop testing issues mean the device is unlikely to be announced until the spring or summer (WWDC?), with a late fall release on the cards.

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