The current rumor has it that Apple is working on a headset that can run both AR (augmented reality) and VR (virtual reality). The described plans call for an 8K display for each eye that would be untethered from a computer or smartphone, the anonymous source said.
The project, codenamed “T288”, is thought to be in its early stages but could be slated for a 2020 release.
Apple has dabbled in smaller VR projects, but the headset marks a major investment in VR, a tech that transports you into a different, digitally created world when you don bulky goggles. Once touted as the next hot tech trend, VR has failed to resonate with consumers despite heavy investment from companies like Facebook’s Oculus, Google and Samsung.
Given the current state of augmented reality, overlays on the real world seem to have proven the most popular. These include games such as Pokemon Go or filters and lenses that go over your face in photos on Instagram and Snapchat.
Apple’s headset would connect to a dedicated box using a high-speed, short-range wireless technology, according to a person familiar with the company’s plans. The box, which would be powered by a custom Apple processor more powerful than anything currently available, would act as the brain for the AR/VR headset. In its current state, the box resembles a PC tower, but it won’t be an actual Mac computer.
Unlike the HTC Vive, users wouldn’t have to purchase and install special cameras to detect their location in a room. These features would be built into Apple’s headset and box, according to the source..
At present, AR and VR are expected to explode over the next several years. Firms such as Magic Leap have poured million into development while Facebook has regarded AR and VR headsets as the future of computing and communication.
Consumers are expected to buy 22 million VR and AR headsets and glasses this year, according to a report from CCS Insight. In 2022, the number should soar fivefold to 120 million units, the analyst firm said, noting the market could be worth nearly $10 billion at that point.
Back in 2017, Apple introduced its first public efforts in AR and VR, unveiling its ARKit to let developers make augmented reality apps for iPhones and iPads. It also said it was working with Valve to bring the Steam VR platform to its desktop Macs. Previously, VR rigs didn’t work with Apple computers.
Over the years, firms have taken sides. Samsung has partnered with Oculus, the VR headset pioneer purchased by Facebook for more than $2 billion, to create virtual reality headsets that use Samsung smartphones. Microsoft has been working on its HoloLens augmented reality headset and Windows 10 mixed reality goggles. Google released do-it-yourself VR kits, called “Cardboard,” that make the tech more accessible to consumers, and two years ago added Daydream View headsets. And Magic Leap’s upcoming AR system, which promises Star Wars-style holograms integrated into the wearer’s real-world field of view, has captured the attention of everyone from tech companies to celebrities.
Apple, in turn, has built its AR and VR back ends by hiring executives, acquiring startups and filing for patents related to both technologies. One patent application earlier this month aims to use VR to help alleviate motion sickness and boredom for passengers in a vehicle.
At present, Samsung’s Gear VR requires a Galaxy smartphone to run, while powerful rigs from Sony, HTC, Oculus and others need to be powered by high-end PCs or game consoles. This, in turn, leads to heavily wired systems.
Apple, according to the source, is expected to use a box that would utilize a wireless technology called “60GHz WiGig,” the source stated. A second-generation version, called “802.11ay,” would boost speeds and range and make the technology more attractive for high-end VR headsets that aren’t tethered to computers. A final version of WiGig 2.0 likely won’t arrive until 2019.
Apple’s box, which would power its AR/VR headset, would use a 5-nanometer processor, which would follow suit in terms of where its processor design is going and its hope to displace Intel and manufacture its own chips in the future. This, in turn, could be paired with as-yet-unreleased 8K displays that other firms are working on.
For now, it’s a rumor, but Apple may have something interesting in the works two years down the line.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via CNET