President Donald J. Trump, joined by Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin and Advisor to the President Ivanka Trump, tours the Apple Manufacturing Plant with Apple CEO Tim Cook Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019, at Flextronics International LTD-Austin Product Introduction Center. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)
Apple is preparing the rollout of a “mixed reality” headset. The device will compete with virtual reality offerings like those from Meta and others. Reuters reports:
Apple Inc (AAPL.O) is expected to unveil a mixed-reality headset at its annual software developer conference on Monday, its first big move into a new product category since the introduction of the Apple Watch nine years ago.
The launch will see Apple test a market crowded with devices that have yet to gain traction with consumers and put it in direct competition with Facebook-owner Meta Platforms (META.O).
Like Meta’s Quest Pro from last year and Quest 3 announced last week, Apple’s device is likely to blend a video feed from the outside world with a virtual world displayed on screens inside the headset.
Shares of the iPhone maker rose 1.5% to hit their record high of $183.6 ahead of the expected launch on Monday.
Analysts expect Apple’s headset to come with premium features including a high-quality display and hand-tracking so it can be controlled without an external controller. It’s also likely to cost much more than the planned $500 Quest 3.
Investors and tech fans alike will be focusing on how much Apple’s view of the virtual reality market overlaps with Meta’s. Meta Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg has outlined his vision for using headsets to dip in and out of a “metaverse” where people can meet virtually to work, play and spend.
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