Apple’s long-rumored AR/VR headset may have a few extra tricks up its sleeve. The sources of the information claim that the mixed reality hardware will use iris scanning to log in and make payments. This would make it easier to buy apps and could even simplify multi-user support, the tipsters said. Apple has declined to comment, but it reportedly bought eye-tracking eyewear maker SensoMotorics in 2017 with the headset in mind. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo also said in 2021 that Primax would provide the eye tracking modules, and that they will support iris detection.
The headset may also have a few advantages over Meta’s just-announced Quest Pro. Two of the previously claimed 14 cameras will supposedly track your legs, giving it an advantage in full-body tracking over the 10-camera Meta device (which doesn’t have leg-facing cameras). The combination of aluminum, fabric and glass of the goggle-like design is also said to be lighter than the 1.6-pound Quest Pro, although the tipsters didn’t say how much.
Previous rumors also pointed to other premium features, including very high-resolution displays, detailed facial expression tracking and even a way to magnetically snap on custom prescription lenses. The headset may be powered by the M2 chip in recent Macs, but could use a slow screen refresh rate to conserve battery life at the cost of a more natural-feeling experience.
Numerous reported leaks point to a headset launch sometime in 2023. The question is whether a finished product will be available. More than one rumor has led to a price tag as high as $3,000. You might get more features than the $1,500 Quest Pro, but you’d be paying for it too. Even more so than with Meta’s hardware, that price could limit the audience of the original Apple headset to developers and other professional makers.
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