Apple's XR headset has dual 8K displays and a $3000 price tag

It seems like Apple is getting serious about moving into the world of XR. The latest round of news shows that the headset that Apple is developing will have extremely high-end features. Rumor has it the device will have dual 8K displays, eye tracking, passthrough cameras, and more than a dozen sensors to track the world your hands and other movements.

Apple has been very bullish about augmented reality, but it has been very quiet about virtual reality. Tim Cook has said in the past that he believes that virtual reality won't be as popular as augmented reality, and that isn't as useful. The latest leaks suggest that the company is likely working on a virtual reality headset as well, and it would likely be the first XR headset that Apple releases.

Don't get too excited about Apple taking over the VR industry, though. Rumor has it this headset won't be cheap, with suggestions of a $3000 price tag for the device. It won't compete in the consumer space at that price, but it would be right in line with enterprise-level hardware.

The price rumors aren't just an Apple premium. The reports suggest that Apple's headset would offer top-tier specifications. The device reportedly includes dual 8K displays to give the user a retina-level visual experience.

Apple's headset also includes passthrough cameras that enable you to see the real-world while you're wearing the headset, advanced eye-tracking cameras that give you the ability to interact with the gaze and it should also foveated rendering to reduce GPUI load, enabling a computer to drive these dual 8K displays. The headset also has cameras for hand tracking so you can interact with the digital world without a peripheral.

The specifications that have been uncovered fall in line with my previous speculation that Apple's new headset is an iteration of the Vrvana Totem mixed reality headset. Apple purchased Vrvana several years ago, and it appears we're finally going to see the work that Vrvana started years ago come to fruition.