Apple’s Amazing AR/MR Apparatus!

Report: LG Display Gearing Up for Apple MR Headset 2

14 JUNE 2022 - How strong is the belief in Apple’s mixed reality (MR) headset? So strong that we’re already talking about the second one. MacRumors highlights a report from The Elec, indicating that “LG Display is preparing to supply micro-OLED display panels for Apple's second-generation mixed-reality headset…”

Oh! The mysteries of the supply chain! LG Display is thought to be in on Apple’s first MR headset, according to the report, though it won’t be the display supplier. That honor is thought to be Sony’s for the gen-one device. A MacRumors report back in January had Apple’s MR headset sporting three screens - two micro-OLED displays (the ones into which users will stare) made by Sony and a third, AMOLED display, meant for purposes as yet unknown.

Ming-Chi Kuo: AR to VR Slide a Big Deal for Apple’s MR Headset

As much as I want to believe in Apple AR/VR/MR possibilities (and I do), some things make it seem wildly fantastical. “There’s gonna be a third screen, but we don’t know why” is just the start of that. I saw a couple of Twitter posts from TF International analyst Ming-Chi Kuo over the weekend that I kind of sat on for a couple of days, mostly because I don’t know what to make of them. “Now everyone knows what a VR experience is & what an AR experience may look like,” began Twitter post 1-of-2:

But for most people, it's hard to imagine what kind of innovative experience the smooth switching between AR & VR can provide, and it may be one of key selling points of Apple's headset.

Continuing with post 2-of-2:

I think a complete mixed reality is not only the hardware that can support both AR & VR but the ability to integrate AR & VR and switch them smoothly for different scenarios. That's why I'm using AR/MR to describe Apple's headset expected to hit the store shelves in 2Q23.

As someone who’s wanted viable virtual reality for decades and someone who’s been hip to augmented reality possibilities for a while now, I am one of the people he refers to: One for whom it is “hard to imagine what kind of innovative experience the smooth switching between AR & VR can provide…”

At the same time, that’s not my job. It’s the job of Apple and developers and experience creators. I would argue that switching smoothly from AR to VR is only as compelling as what one is doing in either setting.

No - I don’t know what it’s going to be like. Still can’t wait.