Apple AR/VR premium headset to include eye and hand-tracking capabilities

By Sam Boughedda

In a report Monday, Bloomberg said Apple’s (NASDAQ:) much-anticipated mixed-reality headset will make an ambitious attempt to create a 3D version of the iPhone’s operating system.

The headset will have eye and hand-tracking systems that could set the technology apart from rival products, Bloomberg reports.

The device will reportedly be priced as a premium product at around $3,000 and is due later this year, with the name likely to be Reality Pro, they add. Additionally, the publication states Apple will take a new approach to virtual meetings and immersive video to shake up the VR industry.

Apple’s technology development team is said to have taken over seven years on the project, with Apple viewing it as a new revenue source.

However, as Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:) has found out so far, virtual reality headsets have yet to appeal to wider audiences, despite some projecting big things for the industry.

According to Bloomberg sources, the report says Apple is aiming to bring something new to the table with the eye, and hand-tracking capabilities are said to be a major selling point for the headset.

Some of the features of the device reportedly include FaceTime-based videoconferencing and meeting rooms, the ability to show immersive video content, the capacity to serve as an external display for a connected Mac, and the capability to replicate many iPhone and iPad functions. The headset will include several external cameras to analyze a user’s hands and sensors to read eyes.