Apple Speeds Up The Secret Headset Project That Could Beat iPhone

The iPhone users might be going crazy about the iOS 11 launch equipped with AR powered apps but, Apple is working on a far better application of augmented reality. The company is vigorously working on a product that could succeed its flagship phone. The augmented reality-based project could be complete by 2019 and the company could start shipping the product by 2020.

Apple is working to evolve the current virtual reality headset with its own innovating capabilities. The Apple’s headset will be totally different from the headset available right now, as Apple is making them independent of the smartphones. The future Apple headset will have its own screen and chipset to deliver the digital content virtually to the users. With this breakthrough, the company will eliminate the need for smartphones to experience virtual reality uninterruptedly. Both AR and VR and have their own way of representing the digital world to the user. AR overlays the virtual objects onto the real world, whereas the VR takes the user on a ride to the virtual world itself.

However, Apple is not the only tech giant exploring the technology to create more interesting gadgets. Google with its smart glassesis consistently putting all its efforts to bring the product to the market. The startup Meta has also built a VR headset to help the education and medical sector. Apple CEO Tim Cook shared the company’s views on the AR technology in an interview with The Independent. He said the market isn't ready for the true AR technology and we don't have compatible devices yet to explore the technology up to its full potential. He also mentioned that AR is less isolated than the Virtual Reality and will revolutionize the way we see things around us. “We’re already seeing things that will transform the way you work, play, connect and learn,” Cook told The Independent. “Put simply, we believe AR is going to change the way we use technology forever.” Since the launch of the iOS 11, the app store already homes more than 1000 AR featured apps.

According to the reports, the company has started forming a special team to carry out the AR projects in March. Mike Rockwell, is the charge of the team and he was leading engineer at Dolby labs prior to this. Now, the team has grown into hundreds of engineers working across both the offices at Cupertino and Sunnyvale, California. The sources have revealed that the team is working on various secret projects and assigned the code name of “T288”. ARkit launched at WWDC 2017 is the first AR based product delivered by the team. The tool helps the iOS developers to build applications that can overlay the 3D images over the real world.

Now, the team is working on the headset and expected to complete it by 2019 for the company. Building a headset, which has inbuilt HD display and a chipset to display the 3D videos is quiet challenging task for the team. As Apple doesn't have its own headstone yet the engineers are using the HTC Vive and Facebook-owned, Oculus for testing purpose. Along with this, the company is also developing ‘rOS’ the platform for virtual reality headset similar to the iOS rund on iPhone and MacOS on Mac. The ‘rOS’ is based on the iOS and will run on the headset to allow users to interact with the hardware efficiently. Apple did not design and conceptualize how the user will control the headset yet, but it is planning to add touch panels, voice-activation via Siri and head gestures. The engineers at Apple are also prototyping some of the applications to run on the headset and the company also discussed to integrate the device with its App Store.

As the gadget on its way and expected to arrive after two years, Apple wants to enhance AR feature on the iPhone in the meantime.. The company will release a new version of its ARkit in 2018 which will help the developers to add more abilities to their VR apps. Apple is also planning to bring the 'persistence tracking' technology to the iPhone which enables the software to remember the place where an object was placed in virtual reality, while you look away the object is still there.