Apple to Unveil xrOS Along With First Headset; Several Senior Executives Involved in Development: Mark Gurman

Apple is expected to unveil its first mixed reality headset, dubbed Reality Pro or Reality One, at its upcoming annual developer conference. The company will also reportedly unveil xrOS, the operating system that is expected to run on the new wearable device at the upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2023 that is scheduled to begin on June 5. Several senior Apple executives have been reportedly been working on the headset, which is expected to debut as Apple’s most significant hardware launch since the arrival of the Apple Watch in 2015.

In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has detailed the roles of several senior executives at Apple in the development of the upcoming mixed reality headset. These include Mike Rockwell, who is said to be in charge of the headset, Apple COO Jeff Williams, Dan Riccio, Paul Meade, marketing chief Greg Joswiak, Phil Schiller, Frank Casanova, Kim Vorrath, Jeff Norris, Shannon Gans, and Geoff Stahl.

Other notable names include Johny Srouji, the iPhone maker’s top chip executive, and former Chief Design Officer Jony Ive, who has already departed the firm and stopped working on the headset a year ago. Gurman previously reported that Apple’s executives envision the mixed reality headset will eventually be worn all day, and ultimately replace the iPhone as the company’s most popular product. 

Apple’s Reality Pro headset is said to be equipped with powerful M2 chips, and sport dual 4K OLED displays that support both augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technology. The headset could be powered by an external battery pack, likely to be worn by the wearer. It is also said to feature over 12 cameras to track the movement of the wearer’s body and eyes, and capture their surroundings in order to support mixed reality experiences.

According to a Reuters report, production of Apple’s upcoming wearable headset will be handled by Luxshare, the firm’s Chinese partner. The components for the headset will be produced by Sony, TSMC, Everwin Precision, and Cowell.

Apple’s mixed reality headset is reportedly on track to be revealed at WWDC 2023, but the Cupertino firm was anticipating issues with producing the device. In line with previous leaks, the report claims that the wearable headset will be priced at $3,000 (roughly Rs. 2.50 lakh), but even users who can afford the device may not receive it until the end of the year, as production is reportedly expected to begin in December.