Apple’s mixed reality headset has been rumored for months and a new one report of Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman indicates it could ship with Apple’s flagship M2 processor. According to Gurman, Apple’s most recent version of the device, which is reportedly capable of delivering augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) experiences, will include a base M2 chip and 16GB of RAM.
This deviates from supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo’s earlier prediction that Apple’s headset will have a single processor with the capabilities of an M1 chip and an additional low-end processor intended for processing data from the the device’s sensors. Although Gurman does not mention the alleged secondary chip in this report, a previous report of The information†
If Apple originally planned to use the M1 as the headset’s primary processor, it only makes sense that the company swaps it out for the most recent version of its internal chip. Apple announced the new M2 chip at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) earlier this month, saying it offers an 18 percent faster CPU and 35 percent faster GPU compared to the older M1 chip.
Rumors of the device’s standalone form factor are also starting to trickle in, and Gurman’s prediction that it will include 16GB of RAM could point to a potentially more powerful level of performance than the all-in-one Meta Quest 2. Meta’s VR The headset comes with 6GB of RAM and the Snapdragon XR2 platform, so it will be interesting to see how Apple’s headset compares when it finally releases.
There are signs that Apple’s headset is getting closer to the January 2023 rumor window. Apple’s board of directors reportedly got a chance to try out the headset in May. RealityOS, the operating system that the headset will reportedly use, has also appeared in Apple’s code and in a trademark application likely filed by the company.
Last week, Apple CEO Tim Cook almost confirmed the headset’s existence when he told interviewers on china daily to “stay tuned and you’ll see what we have to offer” in the mixed reality space.
