- Apple would develop a proprietary charger for its VR headset
- The device will likely remain in compliance with the law, for now
- In a few years, however, Apple will have to get up to speed
It’s hard to miss the news as it has caused a lot of ink to flow in recent months: the European Union has imposed on all mobile phone manufacturers to equip their devices with a universal charging standard by the end of 2024. However, although this will certainly sign the end of the Lightning, according to an unpublished report shared by the very serious magazine Bloomberg via its star journalist and expert of the apple firm Mark Gurman, Apple would prepare an alternative owner and which would be released for its part this year. But then, does this mean that the three trillion dollar group on Wall Street is ignoring the objections of our parent institutions? In reality, not really.
Indeed, it is in fact to feed the Reality Pro, supposed virtual reality headset from Apple, that the manufacturer would have this novelty in the boxes. However, the product has every chance of seeing the light of day no later than next June, during the traditional Worldwide Developer Conference to be held at its headquarters in Cupertino. A calendar which therefore respects in theory that of the leaders of the old continent. What’s more, the obligation does not apply to all connected electronic devices at the moment, so an eyewear still has the chance to slip through the cracks. However, this will not be the case with iPhones, which do indeed fall within the criteria of the law, to the point of perhaps switch to USB-C from September.
What we know
To go further, Gurman spoils us with very crisp technical details about this new proprietary port – even if to be considered with a grain of salt as we know that Apple likes to stir up trouble with false clues. These make it possible to identify indiscreet informants working within its teams, in order to then break their contract under the guise of non-compliance with confidentiality agreements.
According to the analyst, the Reality Pro would thus always be equipped with a USB-C port (dedicated to data transfer), but therefore with this alternative in addition, on the mount as well. The plug would be magnetized as for the Mac’s MagSafe, but would instead adopt a circular format that the user would have to insert into the socket in a clockwise direction to secure it. A good way to avoid accidental disconnections.
And for good reason: in fact, the associated cable will connect the “glasses” to a battery external, which the player would wear around the waist while using the helmet. These must-have accessories could be purchased separately, like drone batteries, to extend battery life. As for their design, it would recall more or less that of Apple’s “external MagSafe battery”, which makes it possible to hold an iPhone longer.
la battery external MagSafe © Apple
Temporary ?
In the long term, however, Europe should undoubtedly impose the USB-C standard on all manufacturers who wish to sell products on its territory, regardless of their nature. Virtual reality or augmented reality headsets will therefore probably also be affected after a while, but Apple has plenty to see coming.
The company is also preparing two other helmet models, including a high-end and a more affordable one. The latter, which will be released much later, could then replace the iPhone – according to influential executives at Apple – and democratize VR. Or not.
