The Apple VR and mixed reality headset has been rumored for quite some time now. Unfortunately, despite leaks and rumors, Apple has kept everything close to its chest. We don’t really know what it looks like either, though these renders might give us a pretty good idea.
Coming courtesy of concept creator Ian Zelbo (via 9to5Mac), these new renders are based on illustrations posted by The Information earlier this year. Those illustrations were apparently based on credible leaks, and if you’ve been paying attention to Apple headset rumors this design will look rather familiar.
From a design standpoint, there aren’t really any surprises. The headset comes with a visor, what looks like foam cushioning, and a head strap that takes some cues from the Apple Watch sport band — particularly the metal clasp.
The most notable thing about this design is the curved glass-looking visor, since most VR headsets are made of solid plastic. That design choice is no doubt down to the fact Apple reportedly wants the device to offer virtual and augmented reality features, commonly referred to as mixed reality.
A glass visor could help conceal camera lenses on the other side, which then feed a real-time view of the world onto the interior display. However, it doesn’t seem likely that the glass is what the user will be looking through, since the whole virtual reality aspect hinges upon there being an interior display.
The headset also appears to be rather small, which would line up with rumors that Apple was working on reducing the weight as much as possible. Because it doesn’t matter how comfortable a headset is, there’s only so long a person can handle wearing a bulky, heavy device on their face.
Zelbo refers to the headset as the “Apple View," though this isn’t its official name. Like so many other things, we have no idea what Apple plans to call the headset when it launches. Currently, rumors claim that the headset will arrive sometime in late 2022 — possibly alongside the iPhone 14.
The Apple headset itself is also said to be a precursor to the augmented reality Apple Glasses. But in that instance Apple is reportedly skipping the headset and adding an AR display to an ordinary-looking pair of glasses.
We don’t know when the Apple Glasses are set to arrive, but rumors claim that Apple’s plan is to use its mixed reality and VR headset to ease people and developers into the idea of AR. Because Apple Glasses would be dead on arrival if there aren’t any apps to use, or people willing to wear them.
We’ll bring you more on the Apple headset and Apple Glasses, as and when we hear it.
