Apple's VR and mixed reality headsets have been rumored for quite some time Unfortunately, despite the leaks and rumors, Apple is keeping everything close to its chest These renderings might give you a pretty good idea, though

Courtesy of concept creator Ian Zelbo (via 9to5Mac), these new renderings are based on illustrations posted by The Information earlier this year These illustrations are apparently based on credible leaked information, and if you've been paying attention to Apple headset rumors, this design should look pretty familiar

From a design standpoint, there are no surprises The headset comes with a visor, some sort of foam cushion, and a head strap inspired by the Apple Watch sports band

The most notable aspect of this design is the visor, which looks like curved glass This design choice is no doubt due to Apple's reported desire to offer virtual reality and augmented reality (commonly referred to as mixed reality) capabilities on this device

The glass visor serves to conceal the camera lens on the other side, which sends a real-time view of the world to the display inside However, the entire aspect of virtual reality relies on having an internal display, so it is unlikely that it is the glass that the user is looking through

The headset also appears to be quite small, consistent with rumors that Apple is working to make it as lightweight as possible This is because no matter how comfortable the headset is, there is only so long one can wear a bulky, heavy device on one's face

Zelbo calls the headset "Apple View," but this is not its official name Like many others, we do not know what Apple plans to call this headset at launch Currently, rumors suggest that the headset will appear in late 2022, possibly with the iPhone 14

The Apple headset itself is also said to be a precursor to augmented reality Apple Glasses In that case, however, Apple is said to skip the headset and add the AR display to regular glasses

We don't know when Apple Glasses will be available, but rumor has it that Apple's plan is to use its mixed reality and VR headsets to familiarize people and developers with the idea of AR This is because Apple Glasses will be dead on arrival if there are no apps to use or people willing to wear them

We will keep you posted on the Apple headset and Apple Glasses as information becomes available