Apple Could Finally Open Up About Rumored Mixed-Reality Headset In iOS 16 Itself

Photo 240142264 © Daniel Constante | Dreamstime.com

At this point, Apple enthusiasts aren’t anticipating the next iPhone quite so much, since its design has remained relatively the same for years. Instead, they’re holding onto the possibility of getting the more enigmatic Apple Car and, of course, an Apple mixed-reality headset. 

An AR/VR headset has been the talk of the rumor mill for a while now. It’s even reported that the gear will form the last major product category that the tech giant will launch before CEO Tim Cook retires.

As is customary with the lead-up to any upcoming Apple event—in this case, WWDC in June—more secrets have emerged about what the company will seemingly disclose. According to reputed tech leaker Mark Gurman in his Power On newsletter by way of Bloomberg, the next developer’s keynote will be a special one as it’s when Apple might make its first official hints of the mixed-reality headset. Specifically, references to the gadget could appear in the yet-to-launch iOS 16.

iOS 16, purported to bear the codename “Sydney,” is “chock-full of references to the headset and its interactions with the iPhone,” Gurman cites sources close to the project. Developers could soon find them in betas for the next major operating system update.

As it seems, Apple won’t be unveiling the headset during the forthcoming event. The most that viewers can expect from the keynote and, subsequently, the beta version of iOS 16 are crumbs in the form of symbols or references to an “rOS.”

It’s more likely that an official hardware launch will take place in 2023 with the iPhone 16.

It has been said that the gadget will be lightweight and won’t work as a standalone, depending on an iPhone or a separate Apple device to be usable. Maybe that’s why the company is inviting developers and students to come to Apple Park for WWDC this year, to give them a first secret look at how the AR/VR headset would work with iOS.

Elsewhere, Apple is reportedly adamant about not taking this gadget into the metaverse. The product will instead offer shorter bursts of experiences, rather than serving as an “all-day device,” Gurman previously noted.

[via SlashGear and AppleInsider, cover photo 240142264 © Daniel Constante | Dreamstime.com]