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It all seems really odd, and the waist-mounted battery pack makes me question the credibility of this 'leak'. Apple won't let me plug in my headphones, but they

It all seems really odd, and the waist-mounted battery pack makes me question the credibility of this 'leak'. Apple won't let me plug in my headphones, but they will force me to wear a lithium-ion Walkman? It just doesn't make sense. The pricing is all wrong and the anticipation of a "killer app" seems way off-base. It's either a very confused product that probably shouldn't release, or a questionable leaker.

threeseed 4y ago
a) Apple lets you plug in your headphones. You just leave a 3.5mm adapter attached to them like most of us do. b) Given the complaints about the weight and poor battery life of the Meta Quest Pro there needs to be a better solution than trying to balance batteries on your head. Waist level pack makes a lot of sense especially since if you're sitting at a desk there is simply no need for batteries.
- smoldesu 4y ago
  > Apple lets you plug in your headphones. Do you know that for sure? How are we certain that the serial port isn't being used by the waist-mounted battery pack? > there needs to be a better solution than trying to balance them on your head. There is one - you plug it in. You can use all the Quest headsets while they're tethered to power if you want, it just defeats the purpose of owning a wireless headset. The battery life of those units will definitely last longer than your meeting, presuming the VR sickness doesn't hit you first. All-for-all, I have to believe this rumor is fake because Apple doesn't make products like this. If Apple does release a VR headset, I doubt it will look like what's described here.
  - threeseed 4y ago
    What's the point of having batteries on your head if they aren't being used. Lightweight headset connected via Thunderbolt 5 to a combined battery/CPU pack or desktop Mac.
    - smoldesu 4y ago
      The same reason as having batteries in your phone, even though you can use it while plugged in. Most people use VR while moving around, and mobility is much easier when you're untethered. If you're going to make an all-in-one headset, that hardware should probably be one piece. Hopefully they just drop the standalone element altogether and go all-in on a nice tethered experience.
      - threeseed 4y ago
        > Most people use VR while moving around That's if you're primarily into gaming which Apple isn't. I suspect the future of VR is going to be at a desk, sofa, bed etc. with virtual screens, meetings, educational lessons, movies etc.
        smoldesu 4y ago
        Well good news then! The future of VR is here, and you can already watch movies, educational lessons and virtual screens at your desk, bed or sofa. You don't need a headset to do that, even. You certainly don't need to spend $3,000 on it. The problem is, none of that stuff is appealing. It's not only not a killer app, it's not even a profit driver. Games move some units, but even that is arguably clunky when you're not fully leveraging 6DOF. So, what's the point of making a mobile headset that's not intended to be moved around? Why tether a headset that could be plugged into another machine altogether?
- Rebelgecko 4y ago
  Is there another article that talks about the 3.5mm adapter? This one makes that sound unsupported
glass3 4y ago
Which other option is there? Only waist-mounts or backpacks are able to remove the weight of the battery.
- smoldesu 4y ago
  You could run a cable to a nearby Macbook Air, and use its processor/battery instead.
TaylorAlexander 4y ago
I guess I really like the hip battery, because it lowers the rotational weight of the headset and allows for a larger battery without the same tradeoffs. It would make the headset lighter than all the competition that uses headset mounted battery. Apple could say "lightest XR headset on the market" while still packing it with tech. Apple loves superlatives like that. Maybe not ideal for a consumer device, but for a pro device a hip pack seems fine to me. Of course, my brain does not work the way apple does so it making sense to me is not an indicator that it is really true.
- smoldesu 4y ago
  There are other battery-less headsets that exist, though. Plus, if Apple is just going to offload part of the device elsewhere, why not just put the processor in your hip too? Hell, why not just run it off a Mac Mini and a Thunderbolt cable? Going halfway with the cable-based headset seems like a recipe for redundancy.
  - Geee 4y ago
    I'm pretty sure the whole computer is on the hip. It makes sense. There's no way they could get the headset light enough otherwise. Even the best wired headsets are too heavy currently. It should be 200-300 grams to be comfortable.
    - smoldesu 4y ago
      At that point, I have two questions: 1. Why can't I just plug it into a Mac/Macbook instead? 2. Does this mean the battery/compute pack will be an optional add-on?
      - Geee 4y ago
        Maybe you can plug it in. But then you'd be tethered to the computer. However, Mac might not have low enough latency / high enough bandwidth for best experience. My thinking is that it will be an ultra-optimized highly integrated device designed to do just AR/VR, and that's also why it can beat all competitors which interface with standard PCs. I have a very high-end VR headset and GPU, and it just isn't good enough. Apple has to make some miracles here.
gamegoblin 4y ago
FWIW, having used the Oculus Quest, my primary thought on how to make VR go mainstream is to reduce the size/weight/bulk of the headset. Strapping the battery to my waist/chest/back/leg/arm would be strongly preferable to having it on my head. It's easy and convenient to snake a power cable down my shirt and into my pocket -- I do this all the time with my corded headphones to keep the wire out of the way. I agree that it doesn't seem very "Apple" in that it's not a sexy solution, but there may be real physical constraints to battery size here that are not surmountable without a giant breakthrough in battery technology (that would probably be bigger news than anything VR related).
- smoldesu 4y ago
  Really? Having used wired VR, my primary thought on making VR go mainstream was to remove the wires. The Quest has problems, sure, but the vision of an "all-in-one" headset is simply so Apple that I'm not sure Apple can resist it. With more efficient hardware and more elaborate battery tech, Apple may well be able to brute-force these issues (especially if they're optimizing for video calls). It's just really bizarre to read about. Its very possible that Apple is working on a headset, but these rumors just don't sound like something they'd do.
  - function_seven 4y ago
    The most successful headset will be one that is powerful and lightweight. Right now we seem to only be able to make one of those things. If it's powerful, then it's a heavy, bulky brick strapped to your head. If it's lightweight, then it's laggy and nauseating. Moving some of the heft to a separate module is one way to cheat and get both of those things. It's a 3rd tradeoff. When you used wired VR in the past, was it tethered to a stationary computer? If so, then this is different at least because you're not tied to any specific spot in the room. All that said, I agree that it's very "un-Apple-like" to have a clunky two-piece solution. But it might be a stepping stone solution to show what's possible with a lithe-but-powerful headset.
    - smoldesu 4y ago

threeseed 4y ago

a) Apple lets you plug in your headphones. You just leave a 3.5mm adapter attached to them like most of us do. b) Given the complaints about the weight and poor battery life of the Meta Quest Pro there needs to be a better solution than trying to balance batteries on your head. Waist level pack makes a lot of sense especially since if you're sitting at a desk there is simply no need for batteries.

smoldesu 4y ago
> Apple lets you plug in your headphones. Do you know that for sure? How are we certain that the serial port isn't being used by the waist-mounted battery pack? > there needs to be a better solution than trying to balance them on your head. There is one - you plug it in. You can use all the Quest headsets while they're tethered to power if you want, it just defeats the purpose of owning a wireless headset. The battery life of those units will definitely last longer than your meeting, presuming the VR sickness doesn't hit you first. All-for-all, I have to believe this rumor is fake because Apple doesn't make products like this. If Apple does release a VR headset, I doubt it will look like what's described here.
- threeseed 4y ago
  What's the point of having batteries on your head if they aren't being used. Lightweight headset connected via Thunderbolt 5 to a combined battery/CPU pack or desktop Mac.
  - smoldesu 4y ago
    The same reason as having batteries in your phone, even though you can use it while plugged in. Most people use VR while moving around, and mobility is much easier when you're untethered. If you're going to make an all-in-one headset, that hardware should probably be one piece. Hopefully they just drop the standalone element altogether and go all-in on a nice tethered experience.
    - threeseed 4y ago
      > Most people use VR while moving around That's if you're primarily into gaming which Apple isn't. I suspect the future of VR is going to be at a desk, sofa, bed etc. with virtual screens, meetings, educational lessons, movies etc.
      - smoldesu 4y ago
        Well good news then! The future of VR is here, and you can already watch movies, educational lessons and virtual screens at your desk, bed or sofa. You don't need a headset to do that, even. You certainly don't need to spend $3,000 on it. The problem is, none of that stuff is appealing. It's not only not a killer app, it's not even a profit driver. Games move some units, but even that is arguably clunky when you're not fully leveraging 6DOF. So, what's the point of making a mobile headset that's not intended to be moved around? Why tether a headset that could be plugged into another machine altogether?
Rebelgecko 4y ago
Is there another article that talks about the 3.5mm adapter? This one makes that sound unsupported

glass3 4y ago

Which other option is there? Only waist-mounts or backpacks are able to remove the weight of the battery.

smoldesu 4y ago
You could run a cable to a nearby Macbook Air, and use its processor/battery instead.

TaylorAlexander 4y ago

I guess I really like the hip battery, because it lowers the rotational weight of the headset and allows for a larger battery without the same tradeoffs. It would make the headset lighter than all the competition that uses headset mounted battery. Apple could say "lightest XR headset on the market" while still packing it with tech. Apple loves superlatives like that. Maybe not ideal for a consumer device, but for a pro device a hip pack seems fine to me. Of course, my brain does not work the way apple does so it making sense to me is not an indicator that it is really true.

smoldesu 4y ago
There are other battery-less headsets that exist, though. Plus, if Apple is just going to offload part of the device elsewhere, why not just put the processor in your hip too? Hell, why not just run it off a Mac Mini and a Thunderbolt cable? Going halfway with the cable-based headset seems like a recipe for redundancy.
- Geee 4y ago
  I'm pretty sure the whole computer is on the hip. It makes sense. There's no way they could get the headset light enough otherwise. Even the best wired headsets are too heavy currently. It should be 200-300 grams to be comfortable.
  - smoldesu 4y ago
    At that point, I have two questions: 1. Why can't I just plug it into a Mac/Macbook instead? 2. Does this mean the battery/compute pack will be an optional add-on?
    - Geee 4y ago
      Maybe you can plug it in. But then you'd be tethered to the computer. However, Mac might not have low enough latency / high enough bandwidth for best experience. My thinking is that it will be an ultra-optimized highly integrated device designed to do just AR/VR, and that's also why it can beat all competitors which interface with standard PCs. I have a very high-end VR headset and GPU, and it just isn't good enough. Apple has to make some miracles here.

gamegoblin 4y ago

FWIW, having used the Oculus Quest, my primary thought on how to make VR go mainstream is to reduce the size/weight/bulk of the headset. Strapping the battery to my waist/chest/back/leg/arm would be strongly preferable to having it on my head. It's easy and convenient to snake a power cable down my shirt and into my pocket -- I do this all the time with my corded headphones to keep the wire out of the way. I agree that it doesn't seem very "Apple" in that it's not a sexy solution, but there may be real physical constraints to battery size here that are not surmountable without a giant breakthrough in battery technology (that would probably be bigger news than anything VR related).

smoldesu 4y ago
Really? Having used wired VR, my primary thought on making VR go mainstream was to remove the wires. The Quest has problems, sure, but the vision of an "all-in-one" headset is simply so Apple that I'm not sure Apple can resist it. With more efficient hardware and more elaborate battery tech, Apple may well be able to brute-force these issues (especially if they're optimizing for video calls). It's just really bizarre to read about. Its very possible that Apple is working on a headset, but these rumors just don't sound like something they'd do.
- function_seven 4y ago
  The most successful headset will be one that is powerful and lightweight. Right now we seem to only be able to make one of those things. If it's powerful, then it's a heavy, bulky brick strapped to your head. If it's lightweight, then it's laggy and nauseating. Moving some of the heft to a separate module is one way to cheat and get both of those things. It's a 3rd tradeoff. When you used wired VR in the past, was it tethered to a stationary computer? If so, then this is different at least because you're not tied to any specific spot in the room. All that said, I agree that it's very "un-Apple-like" to have a clunky two-piece solution. But it might be a stepping stone solution to show what's possible with a lithe-but-powerful headset.
  - smoldesu 4y ago