Apple’s mixed reality/augmented reality headset will come with 15 camera modules, according to TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
Kuo, who has a strong track record when it comes to reporting on Apple rumors, also suggests that it will feature “innovative biometrics,” along with the ability to detect the environment the user is positioned in at the time.
In a note to clients, seen by Cult of Mac, Kuo writes that the components are being developed by Largan Precision, a company that has long worked with Apple on camera components for the iPhone. There will reportedly be “eight modules for video see-through AR experiences, six modules for innovative biometrics, and one module for environmental detection.”
Apple’s AR/MR ambitions
Kuo has previously reported that Apple will launch its MR/AR headset in mid-2022. He believes Apple is currently trying to get the product down to a weight of between 0.22 and 0.44 lbs. It will cost in the vicinity of $1,000, a price in line with a previous JPMorgan Chase prediction.
After this, Kuo thinks Apple will debut AR glasses. However, he thinks that these will only arrive in 2025 at the earliest. Apple supposedly does not yet have a prototype, and there’s no indication of price. Its eventual goal is to create AR contact lenses.
Apple has made no secret of its ambitions for augmented and mixed reality. Both concepts are similar, although one is deeper than the other. In AR, augmented images and graphics are overlaid over the real world. MR is focused on blending the real world and virtual world in a more profound way, basically meaning AR with added interaction. Most of the early apps will focus on augmented reality. Long-term, however, the really exciting ones may also allow you to manipulate real world objects using mixed reality.
It will be interesting to see how Apple does when it comes to popularizing AR. To date, there have been no shortage of exciting demonstrations in this domain. But so far the real utility has been focused on gaming or specific industry use. If Apple’s able to get this to catch on as a tool with application outside these two areas, it could really prove to be a game-changer.
What are you expecting from Apple in this area? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
