With the new Reality Pro headset seemingly ready to debut at WWDC in just a few weeks, we’ve heard some reports that people who have seen the new device weren’t all that impressed. Now a new report from an unlikely source claims that there’s nothing to worry about.
According to Evan Blass (@evleaks on Twitter), one of the best-known leakers in the Android world, Apple’s headset has continued to improve over the past few iterations. He reports that a person he knows who has “had several opportunities to demo the upcoming first-gen Apple XR” has completely changed their opinion about the new device. Blass says the person, who at first was unimpressed by its “’underwhelming’ capabilities”, now is “’blown away’ by the experience the latest hardware/firmware delivers.
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That’s a pretty resounding endorsement and a report that Apple is probably very happy to have leaked. For weeks, rumors have painted a picture of a product that’s unfocused, unremarkable, unfinished, and not up to Apple’s usual standards. This new report paints a completely different picture, and while it represents just one person’s opinion, is one of the few accounts that can be tied to a specific impression rather than a broad reaction.
Apple’s headset is widely expected to debut at WWDC alongside xrOS, a new operating system dedicated to the headset. We haven’t gotten a look at the actual device, but rumors describe something that’s closer to goggles than glasses with a dizzying amount of tech inside, including 4K screens, an M2 chip, a custom image processor, advanced head-tracking tech, and an external battery pack.
Apple is also reportedly developing a large library of apps that will be available at launch, including Books, Apple TV, FaceTime, and Maps.