Apple is about to launch its VR headset – will this be the one that finally catches on?

The $3,000 product could be the next great Apple gamechanger – or just another cool toy for those who can afford it. Plus: Amazon walks back its big climate promise

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Next Monday will see Apple’s worldwide developers conference kick off, and with it one of the company’s two most important annual press events.

Typically, the keynote at WWDC (or “dub dub”) is a software-focused affair, previewing the next versions of iOS, macOS and so on for an audience of developers who need to get to grips with the updates before their launch in the autumn. It’s balanced out by the hardware-focused events oriented around each year’s iPhone launch, since Apple still likes to play the game of announcing and shipping its top-tier products in short order.

A tethered battery pack, designed to sit in the user’s back pocket, to ease the tradeoff between power and performance on the one hand and weight and comfort on the other.

A screen on the front of the headset, designed solely to show the user’s expressions to the outside world, with the goal of making it more comfortable to interact with people wearing the device.

A focus on “passthrough” use, where a camera on the front of the screen shows the outside world to the wearer, with apps and features superimposed on top.

And, most importantly of all, a price tag of about $3,000.

“As we examined our work toward the Climate Pledge, we realised that it no longer made sense to have a separate and more narrow Shipment Zero goal that applied to only one part of our business, so we’ve decided to eliminate it.”

“We remain focused on the Climate Pledge and our goal to reach net-zero carbon across our operations by 2040 – this includes working towards powering our operations with 100% renewable energy, transforming and decarbonising our transportation network with electric vehicles and alternative fuels, using more sustainable building materials, and reducing packaging waste, among other areas.”

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