Apple has taken its first steps into the world of virtual reality after winning a patent for a wireless virtual reality headset used in conjunction with the iPhone handset.
The patent, which gained approval on 17 February, is for a “head-mounted display apparatus for retaining a portable electronic device within the display.”
Much like the Samsung Gear VR and Google Cardboard headsets, the Apple version of the mounted goggles relies on an external device – most likely the iPhone – to create an immersive VR experience. The device also comes with a hand-held remote control similar in style to the click-wheel version of the iPod.
In the patent, speakers on the external device would act as haptic components “configured to provide an enhanced surround sound experience by providing impulses corresponding to events in the image based content.”
According to the patent, when paired with the external device the headset would be able to show both virtual and augmented reality, using the device’s camera to capture data from the surroundings and overlay it with images and information.
While the patent confirms Apple is looking into the world of virtual reality, it doesn’t necessarily confirm the company will be making the device in the near future. So far in 2015, Apple has been granted patents for a foldable iPhone, gesture detection systems, eye-gaze tracking, game controllers and wearable cameras among others. The company has previously been granted patents for a smart pen, magic wand and wireless charger, none of which have as-of-yet materialised.
