【1974 Archives】

Apple974 Archivesworking on a virtual reality headset, but it's not exactly what you think, and it's going to cost more than you think.

This is according to a new Bloomberg report, which claims Apple's first-ever headset will be a niche product, focusing mostly on virtual reality applications such as gaming, video, and chatting. Augmented reality functionality — which Apple CEO Tim Cook once said was more important than VR — will be there, but in a limited fashion.

The price of this device will be high, much higher than you'd expect from a mass-market product. The report doesn't have exact numbers, but speculates the headset would be "far more expensive" than rival headsets, which range from $300 to $900. Apple might look to only sell one of these headsets per day per retail store, the report claims, which would be roughly 180,000 units on a yearly basis. This, again, implies a high price: Apple sells roughly that many Mac Pro computers per year, Bloomberg says, and the Mac Pro starts at $5,999.

In terms of features, the headset is likely to be battery-powered, have a powerful processor (think more powerful than Apple's M1 chip), a fan, external cameras (for AR features), and a fabric exterior. It will also have a system that would allow prescription lenses to be inserted into the headset over the VR screens, thus accommodating for people with poor eyesight.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

An Apple patent from 2017 describes a headset with augmented reality tech. Credit: uspto.gov

Apple plans to start selling this headset as soon as 2022. However, the headset is in "late prototype stage" and not finalized yet, meaning Apple could still change it or scrap it entirely.

All in all, Apple's first headset would be more of a precursor to a different headset, which is coming later (possibly 2023, maybe later), and will be lighter, more AR-focused, and more mainstream. Few details are known about this product, which is in a much earlier stage of development.

SEE ALSO: The death of Apple's Touch Bar is long overdue

Reports on Apple's fabled VR/AR headset have always been confusing. This latest report actually rehashes much of what we read in a late 2019 report from The Information, which also claimed Apple is working on two separate headsets, one coming in 2022, and the other in 2023. But these reports seem to resurface every couple of years, and none of the products ever appear very close to launch. In 2017, a tipster told Mashable that Apple has given up on its AR glasses project, though they did say the company was still building new prototypes. Tim Cook later confirmed that the technology needed to build the product "in a quality way" wasn't ready yet.

This new report is slightly odd as Apple doesn't typically launch niche products; the company is known for making technology accessible to the masses. But hey, after a recent report that Apple is backpedaling on several MacBook Pro design decisions, including removing the Touch Bar and adding more ports, everything seems possible.

Topics Apple Virtual Reality

• Games
• Life
• Social Good
• Science
• Deals
• Entertainment
• Shopping
• Tech

• Best robot vacuum deal: Save $140 on roborock Q7 Max Robot Vacuum
• A Look at Bloomingdale’s “Saturday’s Generation”
• Recapping Dante: Canto 21, or a Middle
• Dennis Wilson Was a Good Editor by Dan Piepenbring
• How to Settle Down with Dystopia
• Pork Products in the Work of Harper Lee
• Happy Birthday, Jonathan Lethem
• The Morning News Roundup for March 10, 2014
• AMD Radeon RX 550 + Intel Pentium G4560
• The Morning News Roundup for February 24, 2014

• Ele.me hits 10 million daily orders as Alibaba steps up instant delivery push · TechNode
• Prime Day headphones and speakers deals: Bose, Apple, Ultimate Ears, and more
• NVIDIA hit with $5.5 billion blow as US tightens chip export rules to China · TechNode
• Alibaba CEO urges re
• Best early Prime Day gaming deals 2024: Save on games, accessories, and more
• Intel reportedly places orders for TSMC's 2nm process · TechNode
• Gen Z boss meme, explained
• Foreign tourist spending on Alipay surges in China over May Day Holiday · TechNode
• Alibaba chairman points to AI as core growth engine for e
• DJI launches Mavic 4 Pro with 360° camera rotation and 100MP Hasselblad sensor · TechNode

• Sony launches new flagship XM6 headphones: Order them now
• Happy Birthday, Philip Roth
• The Man with the Companion Animal by David Mamet
• The Morning News Roundup for February 27, 2014
• The State of PC Gaming in 2016
• Happy Birthday, Jonathan Lethem
• The Morning Roundup for February 21, 2014
• TPR vs. Departures: Season Openers and Citi Bikes by Stephen Hiltner
• Watch how an old Venus spacecraft tumbled before crashing to Earth
• Presenting Our Spring Issue by Dan Piepenbring

• Your 'wrong person' texts may be linked to Myanmar warlord
• At an Academic’s Party, Come for the Riddles, Stay for the Fights
• TPR vs. Departures: Season Openers and Citi Bikes by Stephen Hiltner
• The Savage by David Mamet
• Fyre Festival and Trump’s Language
• A Look at Bloomingdale’s “Saturday’s Generation”
• What We’re Loving: Don B., B. Dole, /u/backgrinder by The Paris Review
• What We’re Loving: Science, Spicer, Sea Maidens, Sandwiches by The Paris Review
• Waitin’ on the Student Debt Jubilee
• Happy Birthday, Howard Pyle! Look at these illustrations from his Book of Pirates.