Virtual reality has been gathering a head of steam thus far in 2015, with the news now emerging that Apple has been granted a patent for a headset which could accommodate an iPhone as the display.As reported by AppleInsider, the patent for the “Head-mounted display apparatus for retaining a portable electronic device with display” was granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office this week.
The patent, originally filed in 2008, describes a system that allows users “to couple and decouple a portable electronic device with a head-mounted device”.
“The head-mounted device may include a frame that is configured to physically receive and carry a portable electronic device,” it reads. “The frame may place a display screen of the portable electronic device in front of the user’s eyes.
“The display screen of the portable electronic device may act as the primary display screen of the head-mounted device such that the display screen of the portable electronic device is primarily used to view image based content when the head-mounted display device is worn on the user’s head.”
The concept is similar to Samsung’s Gear VR headset, developed in partnership with Oculus VR, which has recently launched in the Australian market.
The Gear VR requires a Galaxy Note 4 smartphone for operation, with the Note 4 locking into the front of the unit, which employs the smartphone’s 5.7″ Quad HD Super AMOLED display.
LG is another manufacturer that has turned its hand to virtual reality, teaming up with Google for the VR for G3 headset, based on Google’s Cardboard virtual reality design.
The headset, bound for the Australian market in March, is built with durable plastic and operates by inserting the 5.5″ Quad HD display G3 smartphone into the viewer.
Of course, while other manufacturers are actively exploring the potential of virtual reality, there is no guarantee Apple will enter the market and, as noted by AppleInsider, Apple has shown less public interest in the technology.
