Apple's AR/VR headset is getting that Hollywood razzle dazzle with Marvel producer on board

Apple Vr Ar Mixed Reality Headset
Apple Vr Ar Mixed Reality Headset (Image credit: LetsGoDigital and Concept Creator)

What you need to know

  • Apple is reportedly working with movie directors to create content for its upcoming mixed reality headset.
  • A new report claims that Apple will begin readying developers for the device's release during WWDC22.

Apple's oft-rumored mixed reality headset might or might not get its debut at WWDC22, but we do now have more of an insight into what Apple has been working on. According to a new report, Apple has tapped Hollywood directors to work on developing video content for the product.

While it is still unclear what Apple sees the mixed reality headset as primarily being used for, a new report by The New York Times claims that Apple has already been working with Prehistoric World director Jon Favreau on projects. Specifically, the Marvel executive producer is thought to have designs on bringing dinosaurs from the Apple TV+ show and into the virtual world.

The company has enlisted Hollywood directors such as Jon Favreau to develop video content for a headset that it is expected to ship next year, according to three people familiar with that work. Mr. Favreau, an executive producer of "Prehistoric Planet" on Apple TV+, is working to bring that show's dinosaurs to life on the headset, which looks like a pair of ski goggles and aims to offer virtual- and augmented-reality experiences, these people said.

Notably, the same report claims that Apple "plans to unveil software tools that would allow apps to add new camera and voice functionality, laying the groundwork for a hands-free interface that customers will eventually be able to navigate on the headset" during its WWDC22 event this week. It isn't thought that we should expect Apple to show off hardware, however.

Apple's mixed reality bet is expected to be its next big product category following the arrival of iPhone and Apple Watch — two areas where it wasn't the first to market but became dominant once it launched a competing product. Apple is expected to be ready to ship the headset next year.

Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.