Apple’s AR/VR headset rumoured to feature Memoji and SharePlay

Apple’s often-rumoured AR/VR headset could feature ‘FaceTime,’ ‘Memoji,’ and ‘SharePlay,’ according to a new report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.

In the past, Gurman has said that Apple’s mixed-reality headset — which reportedly runs on a new operating system called ‘rOS’ — will focus on media consumption, communication and gaming.

“I imagine a virtual reality version of FaceTime where you can be in a conference room with dozens of people. Instead of seeing their actual faces, you’ll see 3D versions of them (Memoji),” writes Gurman in his latest ‘Power On’ newsletter.

Apple first launched Memoji back in 2018 alongside iOS 12. SharePlay, on the other hand, only arrived on iOS 15.1 last year. The feature allows Apple users to watch movies, TV shows and more from specific apps remotely and together.

Given the headset’s rumoured focus on communication, it makes sense for Apple to fold Memoji into the mix given the often amusing animated characters’ positive reception over the last few years.

Gurman says that Apple’s mixed reality headset likely won’t be revealed until WWDC 2023. Previous rumours indicated that the headset could launch this year.

Rumours regarding Apple’s mixed reality headset have swirled for several years at this point, with some speculation pointing to it featuring a pair of 8K displays and a price in the $3,900 USD (about $3,852 CAD) range. In a sense, rumours surrounding Apple’s mixed reality headset paint a picture of a device that sounds like a much higher-end version of Meta’s Oculus Quest 2.

Source: Bloomberg’s