Apple’s first mixed-reality headset, expected to be unveiled at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June, may feature “in-air” typing capabilities and could be used independently without an accompanying iPhone.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the device could be set up and download a user’s content independently, including iCloud data. While “in-air typing” is enabled on the latest internal prototypes, the feature is still in the testing stage and is “finicky”.
The first-generation headset is expected to be named “Reality Pro” and could be shipped in late 2023 at the earliest. Apple is also working on multiple other headset models for the future, including a cheaper “Reality One” version with lower-end display and processing components, and a second-generation Reality Pro headset, which is apparently focused on performance improvements.
The second-generation Reality Pro headset is expected to have a variant of the M3 or M4 chip to improve its graphics capabilities, unlike the M2 chip used in the first-generation headset. The M2 chip in the first-generation model, which also has a secondary chip for AR and VR processing, is reportedly not powerful enough to output graphics at the level Apple wants.