As far back as 2021, Mark Gurman and popular Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo revealed some silent features of the upcoming Apple AR/VR headset. Then, they uncovered that the upcoming headset would feature dual 4K OLED microdisplays paired with 120-degree field-of-view lenses.
However, a new leak has revealed the full specs of the upcoming Apple headset. As reported by UPLOAD, the leaked information claims to have interviewed multiple Apple staffers who have worked on the project to confirm previously reported claims and discover new, unreported details.
According to the leak, the headgear relied on an additional, connected battery that was designed to be worn around your waist. This would do away with the requirement for a large rear battery or hefty visor, but it would probably feel heavier than current standalone headsets. The battery life is around 2 hours even with this external solution.
Apple’s Upcoming Headset Specs
The upcoming Apple headset is said to have two 120-degree field of view lenses and dual 4K OLED microdisplays. That should give about double the angular resolution while being wider than Quest Pro. And while Apple’s lenses reportedly include tiny motors for totally automatic IPD correction, powered by eye tracking, Quest Pro’s lenses must be manually adjusted with your fingers. High-end PC-based headsets like Varjo’s and Pico 4 Enterprise already have this feature.
In addition, the headset reportedly has more than a dozen cameras and sensors that can monitor your hands, legs, face, and even eyeballs. Iris scanning is supported by eye-tracking cameras for device unlocking and Apple Pay transactions. Additionally, LiDAR depth sensors are supposedly included to scan your surroundings for realistic mixed reality.
According to reports, the headset is equipped with an Apple M2 chipset as its main processor and a second ISP (image signal processor) that is dedicated to combining the inputs from the high-quality outward-facing cameras into a depth-corrected passthrough view of the actual world. Quest Pro accomplishes this on its chipset, but the passthrough is washed out, low resolution, and grainy.
At the same time, Apple’s standalone headset will also include tiny speakers integrated into the strap. However, it will also work with the second generation AirPods Pro, which was just announced, thanks to an extremely low latency audio mode made possible by Apple’s H2 processor.
An additional display on the front of Apple’s headset reportedly passes through the view from the eye-tracking cameras so everybody in the room can see your face. In long-term research, Meta previously demonstrated this concept as a reverse passthrough.
Pricing
Meanwhile, according to the leak report, the price of cutting-edge technology in this headset will be high. Four people with knowledge of the conversations are cited in the information. as indicating that Apple had talked about charging $3000 or more for the product. Ming-Chi Kuo, a supply chain specialist, asserted in December that it should ship in the second half of this year.
