Apple’s long-awaited mixed reality headset’s design is being shown ahead of its June 5th announcement. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says that the headset’s external battery pack, which sits in the user’s pocket, would look like Apple’s MagSafe iPhone power pack and employ a proprietary connector.
This circular connection is magnetic and twists into the headset to prevent accidental detachment. The battery pack supposedly hardwires the cable’s other end. Bloomberg says they’re inseparable. So changing this power line requires a new battery pack if it breaks.
The magnetic connector must be sturdy enough to withstand head-mounted display movement yet quick to disconnect and replace when the external pack’s two-hour battery life runs out. (Bloomberg thinks Apple may offer individual battery packs for this).
The headset’s USB-C-charged battery pack is reportedly the size of two iPhone 14 Pro Max phones stacked.
Bloomberg claims that the headgear may also contain a USB-C data socket. So the headgear, previously defined as a standalone gadget, may require data transfer, although the article doesn’t specify. Maybe that helps the headset act as an external Mac monitor?
Although it makes sense to ship the battery pack with a headset connector, it’s funny to think that Apple might add yet another connector type to an ecosystem that already includes Lightning, USB-C, multiple MagSafe variants, and the Studio Display’s proprietary power cable (which is technically nonremovable). Standard interoperable connections make replacing broken cables easier.