Image: Marcus Kane
As we count down the months to the launch of Apple’s long-rumoured mixed-reality headset and, with it, an entirely new product category for the tech giant, we’re starting to see more leaks and concept designs pop up.
The latest concept renders of Apple’s “Reality Pro” AR/VR headset imagine a lightweight design, a front that resembles ski goggles, and a connected battery pack.
These images were created by Hyperware designer Marcus Kane (@marcusckane), who shared them on Twitter and a Behance gallery. Both Kane’s tweet and the Behance gallery appear to have since been taken down.
The battery pack in Kane’s concept images is specifically interesting, given that the renders we’ve seen so far haven’t addressed what it could look like. Kane’s concept imagines an external battery that tethers to the back of the headset.
Image: Marcus Kane
According to renowned Apple analyst Mark Gurman’s recent breakdown of how Apple’s mixed-reality headset will work, it will be powered by an external battery pack that’s about the size of a pair of iPhone 14 Pro Max units stacked on top of each other and can be stowed away in the user’s pocket.
Moving the battery outside would likely have helped Apple cut down on the headset’s bulk. Gurman said that the battery pack will only power the device for two hours on one charge.
Image: Marcus Kane
In another tweet, Kane speculated about the possibility of the headset having MagSafe for charging. “I think we’ll see MagSafe on either the back of the headset or the power pack but not both,” he said. “My guess is it’ll disconnect at the back of the headset and you’ll need to buy Apple battery packs for it to have the proprietary connector.”
I think we’ll see MagSafe on either the back of the headset or the power pack but not both. My guess is it’ll disconnect at the back of the headset and you’ll need to buy Apple battery packs for it to have the proprietary connector
— Marcus Kane (@marcusckane) January 27, 2023
Apple’s first AR/VR headset is expected to be a premium offering, pegged to launch sometime this year and cost roughly $3,000 USD (just over $4,000 CAD). It will run on a new “xrOS” Operating System from Apple and come chock full of top-of-the-line components, from multiple 4K OLED displays to an array of more than a dozen camera modules, eye tracking functionality, and more.
