Apple is working on a standalone VR and AR headset with two 8K displays.
Apple is apparenly working on a headset that will support both augmented and virtual reality technologies rolled into one, reports CNET. The project is internally code-named T288,and is said to be in early stages, with the launch estimated to happen sometime in 2020. As with most unannounced Apple devices though, the project could either get the green signal or killed off entirely.
CNET, which cites an unnamed source, claims the mysterious headset will come with dual 8K displays for each eye. For instance, HTC’s most advanced VR headset – the Vive Pro has a resolution of 1440x 1660 per eye. The report said Apple’s upcoming VR headset wouldn’t need either a PC or a smartphone to work. Instead, it would wirelessly connected to a PC-like box that will come with a custom processor designed by Apple. CNET is reporting that the processor is likely to be “more powerful than anything currently available”, and it wouldn’t be an actual Mac computer. Further, the box will be using a high-speed, short-range wireless touchnology called 60GHz WiGig wireless technology.
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A Bloomberg report last year claimed that Apple was aiming to release an AR headset in 2020. This report, however, sheds light on the company’s ambitious plans to merge AR and VR into one. There is no word on how Apple will merge both AR and VR experiences into one, though. Also, we still don’t know how much does the headset cost in the market.
If Apple is working on such headset, it would give a big boost to both the AR and VR markets. CEO Tim Cook has been an admirer of augmented reality (AR) technology. On an earnings call last November, Cook referred to AR as a technology that “will transform the way you work, play, connect, and learn.” Microsoft, Facebook’s Oculus, Sony and HTC are some of the biggest names in the AR and VR space.