iPhone 7 Rumors, News: Apple Patents Own Virtual Reality Display for Next Gen. iPhones

Apple has followed Samsung in exploring a new telecom territory as it seeks to develop its own virtual reality headset for its iPhones. Samsung already has the Gear VR.

Apple has reportedly patented a technology similar to that of the Samsung Gear VR. The headset will be able hold an iPhone which will function as the primary display.

Details of the VR headset were revealed by a patent that was granted to Apple by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Tuesday. The patent bearing the number 8,957,835 was filed by Apple in 2008 but was only greenlit this week by the patent office.

The documentation for the patent revealed that in addition to a mobile phone, the device would come with built-in earphones and a remote control which the wearer would use to control the device.

One major advantage that the VR headset patent points out is the absence of wires which industry sources termed as cumbersome.

While there is no guarantee that Apple will end up bringing this particular VR headset to the market, this isn't the first time that the company has dabbled in VR. In 2014 Apple got a patent for a similar headset that was designed to display content generated by a computer or television, much like what the Oculus Rift can do.

The Guardian noted that Apple's Chief Designer Jony Ive expressed his opposition to smart glasses recently but this did not deter the company from seriously considering such products.

Apple rival Samsung is going ahead with its plans for creating a 360 camera system which it has dubbed "Project Beyond." This system, which will run with the aid of 16 full-HD cameras, will be able to record VR content, which will then be playable to the user via the Gear VR which Samsung designed along with Oculus. The Samsung Gear VR is currently in its beta phase.