Cnn
Apple may be just one day away from unveiling its most ambitious new hardware product in years.
At its Worldwide Developers Conference, which kicks off Monday on its Cupertino, California, Apple (AAPL) campus is eagerly awaited to introduce a mixed reality headset that offers both virtual reality and augmented reality, a technology that overlays virtual images onto real-world live video.
The highly anticipated release of an AR/VR headset would mark Apple’s biggest hardware product launch since the Apple Watch debuted in 2015. It could herald a new era for the company and potentially revolutionize the way millions of people interact with computers and the world around them.
But the headset is just one of many announcements expected at the developer event. Apple will also show a long list of software updates that will shape the way people use its most popular devices, including iPhone and Apple Watch.
Apple could also get ahead of how it plans to incorporate AI into more of its products and services and keep pace with a renewed arms race on technology in Silicon Valley.
The event will be streamed live on Apple’s website and YouTube. It is scheduled to start at 10am PT/1pm ET.
Here’s a closer look at what to expect:
For years, Apple CEO Tim Cook has expressed an interest in augmented reality. Now Apple finally seems ready to show what it’s working on.
According to Bloomberg, the new viewer, which could be called Reality One or Reality Pro, will have an iOS-like interface, display immersive video and include cameras and sensors to allow users to control it with hand, eye movements and Siri. The device is also said to have an outward-facing display that will show eye movements and facial expressions, allowing viewers to interact with the person wearing the headset without feeling like they are talking to a robot.
According to Bloomberg, Apple’s new headphones are expected to contain apps for games, fitness and meditation and offer access to iOS apps such as Messages, FaceTime and Safari. With the FaceTime option, for example, the headset renders a user’s face and full body in virtual reality, to create the sensation that they are both in the same room.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/FILE
Apple CEO Tim Cook has expressed interest in augmented reality for years.
The decision to unveil it at WWDC suggests that Apple wants to encourage developers to build apps and experiences for the product in order to make it more engaging for customers and worthy of the high price tag.
The company is reportedly considering a $3,000 price tag for the device, far more than most of its products, and is testing potential buyers at a time of lingering uncertainty in the global economy. Other tech companies have struggled to find mainstream traction for headphones. And in the years that Apple was rumored to be working on the product, the tech community shifted its focus away from VR to another buoyant technology: artificial intelligence.
But if one company can prove the skeptics wrong, it’s Apple. The company’s entry into the market combined with its large customer base has the potential to breathe new life into the world of headphones.
A mixed reality headset might not be the only piece of hardware getting stage time this year.
Apple is expected to launch a new 15-inch MacBook Air with the company’s M2 processor. The current size of the MacBook Air is 13 inches.
Previously, users who wanted a larger sized Apple laptop would have had to purchase a high-end MacBook Pro.
Considering WWDC is traditionally a software event, Apple executives will likely spend much of their time highlighting upcoming changes and updates for its next-generation mobile operating systems, iOS 17 and iPadOS 17.
While last year’s updates included a major overhaul of the lock screen and iMessage design, only minor changes are expected this year.
With iOS 17, Apple it should double down on its health-monitoring efforts by adding the ability to monitor everything from users’ moods to keeping tabs on how their vision might change over time. According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple will also launch a journaling app not only as a way for users to record their thoughts but also activity levels, which can then be analyzed to reveal how much time someone spends at home or away. .
The new iOS 17 is also rumored to get a lock screen update: when placed in landscape mode, the display will highlight widgets related to calendar, weather and other apps, acting as a digital hub. (iPadOS 17 is also expected to get some of the same lock screen functionality and health features.)
Other expected updates include an Apple Watch OS update that would focus on a quick glance at widgets and more details on its next-generation CarPlay platform, which it initially teased last year.
While much of the event’s focus may be on virtual reality, Apple may also be attempting to show how it’s keeping up with Silicon Valley’s current obsession: artificial intelligence.
Apple reportedly plans to preview an AI-powered digital coaching service, which will encourage people to exercise and improve their eating and sleep habits. It’s unclear how that might work, but the effort comes at a time when Big Tech companies are racing to introduce AI-powered technologies in the wake of ChatGPT’s viral success.
Apple could also demonstrate and expand on some of its recently teased accessibility tools for the iPhone and iPad, including a feature that promises to replicate a user’s voice for phone calls after just 15 minutes of training.
Most of the other Big Tech companies have recently outlined their AI strategies. This event could be an opportunity for Apple to do the same.
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