Source: news.google.com
We’ve been hearing rumors about Apple’s AR/VR headset for years, but except for a few tidbits, no major leaks surfaced on the internet until recently. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, in his Power On newsletter, has revealed some exciting details about Apple’s upcoming headphones.
According to Gurman, FaceTime will be one of the most exciting features of Apple’s mixed reality headset. The mixed reality headset will get a virtual reality version of the FaceTime experience. Gurman says that Memojis and SharePlay could be critical to FaceTime on AR/VR headsets, making the whole experience “quite real” (via Macrumors).
Also, in his Power On newsletter, Gurman backs up rumors suggesting the headset will be powered by what Apple calls realityOS, internally codenamed “Oak.”
I envision a virtual reality version of FaceTime where you can be in a conference room with dozens of people. Instead of seeing their real faces, you will see 3D versions of them (Memojis). My guess is that the headset will be able to determine a person’s facial expressions in real time, making the experience quite realistic. I’d also look to heavy use of SharePlay in the new realityOS, allowing multiple headset users to experience music, movies, and games together.
If you’re not an iPhone user, FaceTime is a fancy name for Apple’s audio and video chat platform. Generally speaking, it is similar to other platforms like WhatsApp, Skype, Zoom, etc. However, FaceTime is exclusive for iPhone users. The SharePlay feature, on the other hand, allows you to share what you are watching or listening to with other people on the FaceTime call. SharePlay is very similar to Amazon Prime Video’s Watch Party feature.
Getting back to the mixed reality headset, Apple was supposed to launch it at this year’s WWDC event, but the latest rumors suggest that the headset could be delayed until 2023 due to development issues. Apple is now rumored to be preparing the AR/VR headset for launch at the WWDC 2023 event.
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