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Apple may launch RealityOS at 2023 developers conference. It will cement Tim Cook’s legacy

The mixed-reality headset could be ski-mask-like called either the Reality Pro or Reality One.

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Apple announced on 29 March that it will be hosting its annual Worldwide Developers Conference in the week of 5 June. For the world’s wealthiest and most powerful corporation, the conference is a platform for showcasing its latest core technologies. It also gives a hint at what Apple may do next.

Typically, Apple launches new versions of iOS, macOS, watchOS, iPadOS, tvOS, and other products at this conference before they appear on new devices. Soon after the event, developers and enthusiasts can try out these pre-release versions.

WWDC used to be the centerpiece of what Apple did until Steve Jobs was alive. Jobs revealed the iPhone 4 at the 2010 WWDC and iCloud in 2011. The 2023 conference will be a throwback to the type of hype and hoopla we were accustomed to when Jobs used to conjure his reality distortion field. Apple could, for the first time, showcase the mixed reality headset at the event.

Mixed reality headsets and Apple HQ

The mixed reality headset will combine elements of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). And Apple has been working on it for about seven years. It was even before the tech giant endowed iOS with AR abilities with the launch of the iPhone X in 2017. Many within Apple believe that the mixed reality headset could one day come to rival the success of the iPhone. In fact, it is viewed as the successor to the iPhone. One day, executives believe, people will not use phones, but mixed reality headsets, which will evolve into reading glasses or something even smaller.

It will also be the second major launch at Apple under the reign of Tim Cook. In the last 12 years Cook has been at the helm of Apple, the Cupertino-based behemoth has launched numerous devices but it hasn’t really entered a new product category. Apple has been living off the success and iterative progress of technologies that were launched under Jobs. In fact, even the Apple Watch started developing when Jobs was the CEO. For Cook, the mixed reality headset is critical to cement his legacy at Apple. This could be the last major product category Apple enters under his leadership. He has crossed the age of 60 and has indicated that he will retire in this decade. Some believe Cook may not call it quits till the Apple Car is launched. But that project has been riddled with issues, and Apple has struggled to attract partners for the same.

In 2019, Apple lost Sir Jonathan Ive, its legendary Chief Design Officer who was a close confidant of Steve Jobs. Ive was behind the design of the iMac, iPod, iPhone, iPad, MacBook and even the Apple Watch. Evan Hankey who was one of Ive’s understudies left Apple more recently. There are hints that the design team is not all in with the current mixed reality headset but have been overruled by Cook.

Designers at Apple believe the company should hold off entering the mixed reality market for a couple of years until the technology develops further and is miniaturised. Cook and his lieutenant Jeff Williams, Apple’s COO, believe now is the right time and have pushed ahead with the project. They want to iterate the technology and use cases over the years, just like the Apple Watch. This would not have happened under Steve Jobs as Ive’s design team had the final say on product decisions. Increasingly, under Cook, the operations team takes the final decisions. After the exit of Hankey, the design team now reports to Jeff Williams.


Also read: OnePlus 11R and Vivo V27 Pro will show settling for ‘good enough’ is not a bad thing


 

Cutting edge features

Rumours and leaks point toward a ski-mask-like headset that will remind one of the Meta Oculus Quest Pro. Called either RealityPro or Reality One, it will also come with a detachable battery that can be swapped out on the fly and two gorgeous 4K OLED screens. The headset will be powered by M2 processor that will have the grunt of a MacBook Pro.

Applications wise, Apple is working on a new type of FaceTime video conferencing app that will replicate real-life avatars of the participants in a virtual environment giving a real-world feel to video conferencing. It will have content from Hollywood studios that will leverage the screen and pair it with spatial audio and Dolby Atmos, which is something already supported by Apple’s AirPods.

The cutting-edge device will not have economies of scale that Apple products usually benefit from. Apple is targeting creative individuals for the headset and is only looking to sell one million units in the first yearAlthough it’s a small number for an Apple product, the headset will be one of the more expensive gadgets of the company at $3,000. It is likely to have a limited release, thanks to the price, limited market, and supply chain restrictions.

That being said, considering the nascency of the mixed reality market, Apple could attain de facto global leadership just with its meager one million projection. And that’s what Cook and Williams are looking at.


Also read: How Star Trek inspired modern tech—smart phones, touch panels, VR


 

RealityOS

New versions for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and all of Apple’s platforms are also expected at the conference. iOS 17 is expected to be loaded with many new features. But the highlight will be something called RealityOS, which will be the operating system for the mixed reality headset. One can expect Apple to parade big-ticket developers with apps for the device.

Sahil Mohan Gupta is Editor, Technology at Acko Drive. Views are personal.

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