New details emerge about Apple’s mixed reality headset

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If you like VR, you were probably focused on the news coming out of CES this week. There was no shortage of new glasses for augmented reality and viewers for virtual reality. But the biggest AR-VR news came from a company that deliberately didn’t announce it at CES.

More leaks surfaced this week about Apple’s upcoming mixed reality headset. A report from The Information has outlined a number of new details about the most anticipated wearable in years. According to anonymous Apple insiders working on the project, there’s a number of features coming to the ski goggle-shaped device. Some of it, like foveated rendering and pass-through views, is also found in competing headsets like the Meta Quest Pro and Sony’s upcoming PS VR2. But Apple’s headset aims to be lighter than the Quest Pro and more maneuverable than either competitor.

Internal sensors automatically adjust 8K images (4K for each eyeball) to match users’ unique facial features. Some of the features even seem to be aimed at making the experience of wearing a headset feel less like being hermetically sealed in a digital silo yourself. The cameras inside can translate your facial expressions on a display outside the device. An Apple Watchque face on the side lets you quickly switch between VR view and color view of the real world around you. Much to Metas’ chagrin, Apple’s headset may even be able to capture leg movements.

The leaks also exposed some limitations. Reportedly, non-Apple Bluetooth buds won’t sync well with the headset. There’s no headphone jack, so you’ll need AirPods or one of the speaker headphone bands that Apple is apparently developing. And while there’s no hint of a release date, production of the device has reportedly been delayed several times. Apple may be poised to announce the device later this year.

Here’s some other consumer tech news.

Apple is reportedly canceling iPhone SE

According to Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst at TF International Securities, Apple may not make a new iPhone SE. Citing supply chain issues and lower sales of the midrange phone compared to iPhone Pro models, Kuo says Apple may choose to delay or simply not release a new iPhone SE this year.

The SE is a decent enough phone, but clearly Apple’s breathless marketing of its flagship devices has stunted the budget model. Either that or people just prefer bigger phones these days. Since Apple dropped the iPhone Mini last year, it appears to have transitioned from smaller, more modest options.

Google Maps, where Yat?

Hey, did you know you can use Google Maps while driving? OK, yes, this is a key feature of Google’s GPS app, but now the company is introducing something a little different for some vehicles. Google allows automakers to implement their HD Maps software into their in-vehicle navigation software. It’s not Google Maps itself, but it’s a kind of foundational system that underpins car technology. So far, Volvo and Polestar have said they will use Google’s HD Map system.

We live at CES now

It’s impossible to keep typing this roundup of news without stepping into CES. WIRED attended the giant consumer tech event in person for the first time since 2020, and our reporters got to touch all the weird and wacky technology on display firsthand.

This week’s Gadget Lab podcast comes straight from the heart of CES. Our field team met late one night in a Las Vegas hotel room to bust out the marketing bluster and highlight what transpired at this year’s CES.

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