Apple's mixed reality headset to rival Meta Quest Pro with iris scanning payments
Apple's mixed reality headset to rival Meta Quest Pro with iris scanning payments
It also has legs – like, literally, cameras to capture your legs for virtual reality
➡️ The Shortcut Skinny: Apple mixed-reality headset
👁️ Rumored Apple AR/VR headset to boast iris scanning for payments/logging in
🦵 Of its 14 cameras, two may face downward to capture your legs for VR
🍎 These are Apple’s are unique selling points vs the $1,500 Meta Quest Pro
💰 However, the Apple headset may launch in 2023 for double that price
It’s no secret that Apple is prepping a high-end mixed headset (that’s AR/VR in one) – Apple CEO Tim Cook has talked up to prospects of augmented reality for years in his quarterly earnings calls. But it’s only today that fresh leaks about the unannounced “Apple Reality One” project suddenly come into focus… you know, the same week the $1,499 Meta Quest Pro pre-orders went live and Meta Quest 3 was talked about.
The latest news is that Apple is working on technology to allow for iris scanning within its forthcoming headset that boasts a total of 14 cameras, reports to The Information. Eye tracking is nothing new – even Sony’s PSVR 2 at a rumored $499 price point will be able to do that when it launches early next year. But Apple is poised to take it one step further than the PlayStation VR 2 and Meta Quest Pro.
Iris scanning is said to allow for payments and logging into your account, replacing Face ID and Touch ID in a new immersive world. That’s something that the Meta Quest Pro cannot do, even at its $1,500 price point. Of course, the Apple headset may cost double that price, with rumors that it’ll cost as much as $3,000.
The report also reiterates that two of the 14 cameras will face downward as a way to capture your legs, paving the way for a full-body avatar. Eye-tracking will also be used as a way to boost the graphics wherever the user is looking (there’s no reason to put the full power behind and to the sides of the headset), something I’ve seen demonstrated on VR headsets as far back as the Samsung Gear VR headset.
With three or four headsets launching within a few months of each other – Meta Quest Pro (October 25), PSVR 2 (early 2023), Apple’s AR headset (likely 2023) and Meta Quest 3 (likely 2023) – it’s good to see companies offer unique selling points and, in turn, pushing their new technology to the benefit of consumers.
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