The Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC)Apple’s annual event dedicated to software and developers is about to arrive and, as usual, Apple will present the news relating to all its operating systems. But this year Apple may also unveil xrOS, the operating system who will manage his visor for mixed reality AR/VR. Here are all the news we expect.
xrOS, what do we expect from the Apple headset operating system
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple views the headset as a device for the gaminglo streaming videothe video callsthe salute and the fitness and thesocial interaction. He won’t use the term “metaverse” during the presentation – partly because it seems to have changed hands. But, instead, it will aim to sell it as the best way to enjoy “eXtended Reality” content.
The name of the operating system, recently registered by Apple, comes from the X of eXtended and the R of Reality. Which means that the Apple viewer will be used for both virtual reality (which allows you to immerse yourself in digital ways) and augmented reality (which inserts digital elements into the world around us). And Apple has thought of an operating system to make the most of these two possibilities.
The graphical interface
It seems that xrOS may have an interface similar to iOS, intuitive for iPhone and iPad users, but which will offer them a completely new way to interact. A mix of familiarity and new possibilities.
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According to informed sources, the Home should be customizable with apps and widgetswhich we will be able to see on two high-definition 4K micro OLED screens with a pixel density of up to 3,000 per inch. This will offer an immersive, realistic and richly detailed viewing experience.
The headset will track the user’s eyes and also the movement of their hands with more than a dozen optical cameras: there will be no controller to hold, but we will wave our fingers in the area to select the elements that we will see on the screen. Furthermore, it is expected that the user can glook at an item on the screen to select it and use a hand gesture like a snap to activate the object on the screen.
xrOS: Apple’s operating system apps
Le app Apple come Safari, Photos, Messages, Maps, Apple TV+, Apple Music, Podcasts, Reminders and Calendar they will be reinventate per xrOS, the operating system at the center of Apple’s viewer. There will also be one customized version of FaceTime for video calling with realistic avatars in three dimensions and in virtual reality. The app Maps it will also offer the possibility to explore the cities of the world with the features Look Around e landmark di Apple in augmented reality, with cameras that will filter external images to present them before your eyes.
Among the apps and services that will offer different experiences in xrOS are Apple Fitness+, Apple TV+ and a 3D version of the Apple’s Freeform collaborative tool – as well as FaceTime. Apple has also created an app Books to read in virtual reality, an app Salute focused on psychological well-being and an app Camera which can take pictures from headset cameras.
Users will be able to use multiple apps simultaneously and access a App Store xrOS dedicated to headset apps, in addition to the App Store apps already pre-installed. This is one of the reasons why Apple will present the viewer at WWDC 2023: it wants developers to create apps dedicated to this new technology.
Also, Apple will transform some of its services and apps into immersive visual experiences. For example, users will be able to watch virtual reality videos as if they were in front of a giant screen or do guided meditations with immersive images, audio, and voices.
Non solo gaming
Apple never joined Meta’s “metaverse train”. But it still seems to want to use the potential of VR and AR to go beyond the world of gamingwhich so far remains the flagship market for VR headsets and AR apps like Pokémon Go.
Apple has already started working with some game developers selected to adapt their titles to mixed reality, but it also seems to have another ace up its sleeve: a tool that will allow anyone to create their own AR/VR apps without needing to know how to program. It is a technology acquired by a Canadian startup in 2017, which will allow users to use Siri as an assistant to create and publish AR apps on the App Store. The tool has been compared to Minecraft and Roblox, which allow you to easily create 3D worlds and games.
This will allow you to create games in a simple way, but also to create apps for general use. If most users will use the headset for entertainment, developers will create more complete experiences, to be exploited on the Apple viewer.
All this information could be confirmed or denied by Apple itself in less than a week: we will keep you updated with all the news arriving at WWDC 2023 on June 5th.