What you need to know
- Apple is rumored to have a new AR/VR headset in the works.
- Reports from last week suggest we might have to wait until next year for a product announcement.
- Prices are expected to be more than $2,000.
Apple's much-rumored AR/VR headset was recently rumored to have suffered a potential delay to the planned 2022 launch and now we have more information about what is sure to be Apple's biggest new product in some years. While we already expected the headset to be costly, a new report backs that up by saying that a price of more than $2,000 is a possibility.
According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, writing in his weekly Power On newsletter, we can expect a lofty price for a device that is expected to pack multiple displays as well as Apple silicon.
Apple typically charges a bit more than its competitors for products, locking in margins that have helped it become one of the most profitable consumer-electronics companies ever. The new headset won't be an exception, but the main reason why the company has discussed price points above $2,000 is because of some of its internal technologies.
The same report suggests that a chip similar to the Mac's M1 Pro will power the new headset, potentially explaining the overheating issues Apple is rumored to be suffering from. And that M1 Pro is just one of the processors expected, too.
I'd expect two processors inside of the device, including one on par with the M1 Pro in the MacBook Pro. Combine that with multiple displays—including super-high-resolution 8K panels—an interchangeable prescription lens option and advanced audio technology, and the costs add up.
The use of an M1 Pro will allow for improved graphical performance, something that will be vital for some applications.
The new headset could still make a WWDC 2022 debut, but Gurman's report from last week suggests we will more likely have to wait until next year to see what Apple has been working on. The headset itself is set to focus on gaming and media, while developers will surely be able to work on creating their own mixed reality apps once WWDC 2023 rolls around, too.
