Apple AR/VR headset: a USB-C port and a power bank with 2 hours of battery life (and a dangling cable)
Apple is expected to show off its mixed reality (virtual and augmented) headset in June during WWDC and new details are being shared today by Mark Gurman of Bloomberg.
The helmet will have the right to two ports. There will be a USB-C port for data transfer and a proprietary magnetic port for the battery. This external battery is necessary for the operation of the helmet and will have a design similar to the external MagSafe battery that is attached to the back of an iPhone. What will be the autonomy? Two o’clock.
Apple’s idea with the external battery is to avoid having headphones that are heavy to wear. This will improve comfort, especially for those who will wear it for several tens of minutes. But who says external battery says cable hanging. In addition, the user must manage to find a location to put the battery. If it is really a format similar to the MagSafe external battery, it could be placed in the pocket of a trouser.
Moreover, the battery and the cable are in one piece and cannot be separated. The blunt-ended cable attaches to a magnetic port on the unisex headset, which locks into place with a twist motion upon insertion. This means that the cable cannot fall off during use.
It will be really interesting to see if the general public will be interested in this AR / VR headset from Apple, which could be called Reality Pro. Certainly the price tag (rumored around $3,000) isn’t going to help. In addition, some Apple employees fear a flop and believe that this product represents a solution in search of a problem.
