Renowned analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims Apple’s long-rumoured AR/VR headset will debut next year with “Mac-level” power.
A research note from Kuo seen by MacRumours suggests the device will feature two processors to support its capabilities.
One processor is said to be similar to Apple’s debut in-house silicon, the M1. This chip will handle the device’s more demanding tasks.
A second, lower-end processor will be used to handle sensor data.
Rumours of Apple’s entry into the AR/VR space have been circulating for several years with many reports suggesting that Apple would debut two devices.
One of the reported devices was said to be a standalone VR headset along the lines of the Oculus Quest. The other rumoured device was more like smart glasses with AR capabilities.
However, Kuo’s report suggests Apple’s headset will support both VR and AR.
Kuo says the headset will use a pair of 4K Micro OLED displays from Sony for its VR capabilities. These displays will require the grunt of the M1 to power.
In his report, Kuo wrote:
“Apple’s AR headset requires a separate processor as the computing power of the sensor is significantly higher than that of the iPhone.
For example, the AR headset requires at least 6-8 optical modules to simultaneously provide continuous video see-through AR services to users.
In comparison, an iPhone requires up to 3 optical modules running simultaneously and does not require continuous computing.”
Back in January, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that Apple plans to launch a VR headset as a niche “precursor” to mainstream AR glasses.
The initial headset is expected to be expensive – even for Apple’s standards – so it will be targeted at high-end creators and developers. Gurman’s report suggests that Apple only expects to sell around one headset per store each day.
(Photo by Keming Tan on Unsplash)
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