Apple is gearing up for the development of an augmented reality headset that will have its own display, a new chip, and a specially-designed operating system, according to a new report from Bloomberg.
Apple’s version of an AR headset would feature a new operating system, based on iOS, currently referred to internally as rOS (reality operating system). And unlike we see in the case of Google Daydream and Samsung Gear VR, Apple’s AR headset would have it’s own display and processor instead of using the power of a smartphone. The headset would also have its own version of the App Store.
One thing that’s still uncertain is control options for the AR headset. Apple’s engineers are reportedly exploring possibilities for users to control the headset, including head gestures, touch panels, and Siri-powered voice control. With prototype headsets still in the works, though, Apple’s designers are said to be using HTC Vive VR headsets to test the limitations and potential of AR.
Apple took a first major step into augmented reality this year with the launch of ARKit in iOS 11, which is used to develop AR apps for iPad and iPhone. This AR headset is one of the many hardware and software projects that a team of Apple software engineers are supposedly working on under the umbrella code name of “T288” in Cupertino and Sunnyvale.
Apple aims to have the technology ready for the headset by 2019 and could ship the product as early as 2020, the report claims.
