News and rumours pertaining to the Apple AR Headset's specs look to be coming thick and fast at the moment, and we might've just got some more exciting details about it.
Here's what we know about what is shaping up to be quite the powerful headset, and what we think it's going to be used for.
What Will The Apple AR Headset Be Used For?
The latest edition of reputable leaker Mark Gurman's Power On newsletter from 5th December (via 9To5Mac) has touted the idea of the Apple AR Headset being a multi-purpose device for communication, gaming and media consumption.
It looks to be the case that gaming will be of paramount importance to the device as according to Gurman, the device will be positioned by Apple as "a dream for game developers" alongside having "multiple processors, a fan, extremely high-resolution displays and its own App Store."
For media consumption, he refers to Apple potentially partnering with media partners to provide content that can be watched in VR. For communications, Gurman has said to "look for Animojis and a VR FaceTime-like experience to be the new-age Zoom", which all sounds promising.
Of course, all this is to be confirmed, as is the Apple AR Headset's release date, which is looking to be a couple of years away with an announcement date potentially being sooner than we thought.
Opinion: A Multi-Purpose Headset, You Say?
Mark Gurman's Sunday newsletter pretty much always looks to be a great source of information when it comes to Apple news, and this latest scoop on the Apple AR Headset has provided us with some clarification when it comes to specs of the device, and more integrally, its use case.
If Apple does choose to market their new AR headset as a do-it-all device and actually deliver on that front, then they should be well on their way to it being a successful venture, but of course, what is going to be key is balancing features with price, and knowing who the target market is.
At the bottom end of the scale, a price of $1000 makes more sense if the general public is going to be the ones expected to go out and pick this headset up, especially if VR gaming is a key focus. After all, higher-end VR headsets retail for close to that anyway.
Given Gurman's comments, it looks like Apple could conceivably compete with the best VR headsets out there like the Valve Index in the gaming space and the upcoming Meta Quest Pro, or Project Cambria, but it's worth noting that there is one key difference - pedigree.
Valve is the developer behind Steam, and have been making games for years and Meta (formerly Facebook and Oculus) have been market leaders within the space for many years.
On the other hand, Apple, as things stand, aren't mostly known for their gaming prowess. It may take a lot for Apple to establish itself as a market leader, but with these early sketches, the fact the device could pack a major punch is only a good sign.
Returning to the issue of price, the $3000 tag from The Information sounds more suitable for a device that's going to be utilised more in enterprise and commercial settings than in someone's living room.
Microsoft's HoloLens 2 carries a similar price tag of $3500 and so if Apple charges $3000 for the new headset, then they may gain customers due to the fact they could undercut Microsoft by a good margin.
For Apple, it looks like this new headset attempting to deliver on as many promises as they can, in the hope of inviting the public into a new alternate reality-driven direction and also bringing over long-time VR and AR users to accompany them as they forge out a new path.
Read More: Is Xbox Getting VR?