Apple’s Mixed Reality headset has been rife with rumors for months, and a new report bloombergMark Gurman has hinted that it could come with Apple’s flagship M2 processor. According to Gurman, Apple’s latest version of the device, which is reportedly capable of providing augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) experiences, includes a base M2 chip and 16GB of RAM.
It deviates from supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo’s previous prediction that Apple’s headset will have a processor with the capabilities of the M1 chip and an additional low-end processor dedicated to handling data from the device’s sensors. Although Gurman has not mentioned the alleged secondary chip in this report, an earlier report had also rumored a multiple chip setup. Information,
If Apple was originally planning to use the M1 as the headset’s primary processor, it only makes sense for the company to swap it out for a more recent iteration of its in-house chip. Apple announced the new M2 chip at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) earlier this month, and said it offers an 18 percent faster CPU and 35 percent faster GPU than the older M1 chip.
Rumors of the device’s standalone form factor are also starting to spread, and Gurman’s prediction that it will include 16GB of RAM could indicate a potentially more powerful performance than the all-in-one Meta Quest 2. Meta’s VR headset comes with 6GB of RAM and the Snapdragon XR2 platform, so it’ll be interesting to see how Apple’s headset compares when it’s released.
There have been signs that Apple’s headset is getting closer to the rumored January 2023 launch window. Apple’s board of directors reportedly got a chance to try out the headset in May. RealityOS, the operating system the headset will reportedly use, has also appeared in Apple’s code and in a trademark application filed by the company.
Last week, Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed the existence of the headset when he told interviewers China Daily “Stay tuned and you’ll see what we have to offer” in the mixed reality space.