Apple VR could bring your books to life in latest leak

A render of the Apple VR headset next to a neon Apple logo
(Image credit: Ian Zelbo (edited))

In a piece written for Bloomberg, Mark Gurman looks at some of the most recent rumors of apps that could be coming to the Apple VR headset. We've looked at the sports, gaming, and fitness rumors, but there is more nestled within Gurman's story that is worth looking at – one such rumor is a throwaway sentence about Apple Books.

Presumably, Apple will be bringing its extensive selection of eBooks over from the normal app to the new one, letting you download and read books to your VR headset – although this isn't the only use that the app could see on something that is supposed to augment reality.

Read in VR

Apple Books appears only once in the article but is an interesting mention nonetheless. Gurman tells us that "the company (Apple) is working on a version of books for the headset that will allow readers to read in virtual reality." Nothing more is said of the rumor, although it warrants investigation. There is nothing about what this could mean – whether you'll be reading virtual books in VR or whether VR could enhance the reading of paper-based books. Maybe it's a little of both, with reading attached to one of the best iPhones or iPads.

There are other cursory mentions of other apps as well, such as the camera app. "The company is also testing a camera app that can take pictures from the headset." It's long been known that the headset will feature a camera (if not only to make the AR functions work), but what other uses it will have remain something of an enigma. If you can imagine taking a picture of the Arc de Triomphe with a VR headset strapped to your face, then all the power to you – and this might make Apple VR even more exciting to you.

As always, we'll have to wait until WWDC 2023 before we know too much more about the uses of the Apple VR headset, or 'reality Pro' as some think it will be called. Given these features were only cursory mentions in Gurman's piece, this could mean that they're not even day-one features, so they may not even be announced this year.

Tammy Rogers
Senior Staff Writer

As iMore's Senior Staff writer, Tammy uses her background in audio and Masters in screenwriting to pen engaging product reviews and informative buying guides. The resident audiophile (or audio weirdo), she's got an eye for detail and a love of top-quality sound. Apple is her bread and butter, with attention on HomeKit and Apple iPhone and Mac hardware. You won't find her far away from a keyboard even outside of working at iMore – in her spare time, she spends her free time writing feature-length and TV screenplays. Also known to enjoy driving digital cars around virtual circuits, to varying degrees of success. Just don't ask her about AirPods Max - you probably won't like her answer.

  • Up_And_Away
    “the company (Apple) is working on a version of books for the headset that will allow readers to read in virtual reality”

    as a reader who reads almost entirely from my iPad mini, I’m intrigued. My first thought is VR goggles for reading is just two extremely small e reader screens. Exact same concept as an e reader. But this hints at Apple making Apple Books something much more enhanced for VR, maybe.
    Reply