Apple set to make MR a reality

As rivals fall by the wayside, could Apple define a sector once more?

Over the past few years, countless millions of words have been written about augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). For a time, it seemed that the technologies could be about to change the world, with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg seemingly going all in, renaming his company Meta after the so-called Metaverse, and launching a mixed reality (MR) headset aimed at businesses.

More recently, it has felt more like a VR winter as Silicon Valley abandoned its grand plans. Microsoft, which launched its own pioneering HoloLens headset, has apparently laid off several of the teams working on it, and in March Google finally killed Google Glass, the company's early attempt at getting into mixed reality. Even Meta is thought to be quietly backing away from the Metaverse, instead putting its more speculative investments into machine learning and AI.

But everything could be about to change again. One major player perhaps the major player - has remained silent throughout. In June, Apple is widely expected to use its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) to finally reveal an MR headset of its own, which rumours suggest will be called the Reality Pro.

According to Mark Gurman, the well-connected Bloomberg reporter, the headset will work independently of an iPhone or any other device, and will use a 4K OLED display in front of each eye to ensure that the device's display is suitably sharp. And it will, of course, be powered by a custom Apple-designed chip like Apple's most recent phones and computers likely the same M2 found in the most recent MacBooks.

The headset's interface will reportedly be similar to an iPhone, with a grid of app icons, and early apps will include a version of FaceTime that lets you speak to friends in virtual space, and a version of SharePlay, which will let you watch TV with other people while sharing a virtual living room.

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