2023 is set to be the year of new frontiers for Apple. Reports say that Apple could release its long-awaited Reality Pro AR/VR headset as early as this spring, a new platform for Apple that will get most of the attention for at least the rest of the year.
But just because Apple has a new platform doesn’t mean its oldest platform, the Mac, will be ignored or forgotten. In fact, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman recently provided insight into how Apple’s AR/VR platform will work, and his report included this interesting tidbit:
The device will also have productivity features, including the ability to act as an external display for a Mac. With that feature, users will be able to see their Mac’s screen in virtual reality, but still control the computer with their trackpad or mouse and physical keyboard.
At first blush, Gurman’s description seems confusing. Why would anyone want to use a Mac with a screen attached to their face? But if you take a step back and consider Apple’s approach and its ecosystem, it all comes into view.
Sidecar, Universal Control evolves into the headset
Each Apple platform—Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch—is great in its own right, but Apple makes them part of an ecosystem that provides greater value. Much of the interoperability relies on iCloud and the Internet, but the devices also have features that work directly with each other at the hardware level, such as Sidecar and Universal Control.
Sidecar allows users to use an iPad as an external display. Universal Control allows users to control two Macs or one Mac and one iPad from one keyboard and mouse. It appears that the Mac functionality that Gurman describes will have its roots in these two systems. The Mac would presumably need to be nearby and would probably be most useful for specific tasks—meetings, video, 3D rendering apps, gaming—but if done right, it would provide the kind of magical wow factor that the Universal Control does.
Based on Gurman’s brief description, it’s not clear whether the headset will act as an additional display for the Mac using AR or mirror what’s on the Mac’s primary display using VR. Perhaps it will be able to do both. But like Universal Control and Sidecar, it can be a hugely useful feature that only Apple can offer.
Just as Universal control lets a Mac talk to a nearby iPad, the Reality Pro headset can seamlessly connect to a Mac.
Willis Lai/IDG
It’s also about convenience
Chances are, whoever uses Apple’s headset also uses a Mac. Here’s how I imagine it all works: You use your Reality Pro headset to play a game and get a notification about a meeting or an important email on your Mac. Instead of removing the gear and turning on your Mac Studio, the headset automatically recognizes your nearby Mac and pops up the Finder on the headset. Maybe you use gestures to get around or the same keyboard and mouse that’s attached to your Mac. When you’re done, you can flick away the Mac screen and resume what you were doing.
Based on my experience with Sidecar, Universal Control, and Apple’s ecosystem, a virtual Mac desktop is just another example of how Apple understands the importance of its ecosystem and the interoperability of each device. Apple doesn’t need to bring the Mac into AR/VR territory, but it’s a way to set it apart from other competing models with tight control and nice convenience.
In someone else’s hands, it can be a gimmick. However, a virtual Mac screen is a clear sign that Apple is not only thinking about what the headset can do, but also how it can be incorporated into what we already do. And like everything that came before, it looks like Apple is back on track.
