Anyone With An Apple AR Headset Will Be Able To Create AR Apps, Says New Report

Apple's mixed reality headset will finally break cover this year, and if rumors from credible sources are to be believed, Apple is aiming very high with its capabilities. Now, a fresh leak, which comes courtesy of The Information, suggests that Apple will allow all users to create AR apps for the headset using nothing but the in-house Siri virtual assistant. Neither developers nor the regular buyer would need any coding knowledge to create such applications for the rumored realityOS or xrOS powering Apple's headset. On paper, this sounds like one of those generative AI models that use nothing but a text-based one-liner prompt to create digital art or write research papers.

"With the software tools, Apple hopes that even people who don't know computer code could tell the headset, via the Siri voice assistant, to build an AR app," says the report. Notably, applications created using Siri will be listed on the App Store, which potentially opens a whole new world of monetization opportunities. The report cites the example of virtual animals displayed as an overlay over real-world surroundings. Instead of losing brain cells by worrying about the coding part, or handling complex 3D motion elements, Siri will do it for users with a simple voice command.

The tech behind creating augmented reality apps using nothing but Siri comes courtesy of Fabric Software, a company that Apple acquired in 2017. The report adds that Apple is focusing on "health and wellness including proposals for AR apps that assist with meditation and exercise." Apple already has a rich ecosystem of fitness-focused hardware as well as a successful subscription service to go with it, so it only sounds natural for Apple to pursue a familiar strategy with its highly-anticipated headset. Allowing headset wearers to generate their very own immersive fitness experiences via dedicated apps that don't take much effort sure sounds like a winning strategy.

But there's a catch. The Information clarifies that the details being shared by sources are a few years older, which could mean that some of these app-creation capabilities may have been boosted since then or even scrapped. On the positive side. we are hearing rumors about a familiar iOS-inspired look for the UI on Apple's headset, married to cutting-edge sensor hardware and a pixel-dense screen with wide viewing angles. Further rumors suggest that on the inside will be a desktop-grade M-series processor and some clever solutions like a speaker assembly integrated into the head strap. The mixed reality headset will reportedly be presented ahead of the WWDC showcase in June, while sales begin in the latter half of the year. 

Of course, it's important to remember that all of this is rumor and speculation, so it would be wise to take all of this with a grain (or perhaps a handful) of salt.