Apple’s suspected mixed reality headset appears to be the worst-kept secret in technology, and a fresh story on the device (its second this week) from The Information is packed full of details regarding the undisclosed product’s troubled development.
One of the most interesting aspects of the tale is Apple’s decision to use a separate headset. Apple had not yet determined whether to pursue a more powerful VR headset that would be paired with a base station or a standalone one. According to The Information, Apple officials chose the standalone product over the version with the base station, which had a processor that later arrived as the M1 Ultra. In 2020, Bloomberg reported similar information.
That decision appears to have had long-term consequences for the headset’s development. “By the time the choice was taken,” The Information wrote, “the device’s many chips had already been in development for several years, making it hard to go back to the drawing board and construct, say, a single chip to handle all of the headset’s responsibilities.” “Other obstacles, such as putting 14 cameras on the headset, have given hardware and algorithm engineers nightmares.”
The article also offers information on Jony Ive’s collaboration on the project’s design following his official departure from Apple. Ive “prefers” a wearable battery, such as what Magic Leap provides. However, other prototypes have placed the battery in the headset’s headband, and it is unknown which will be used in the final design, according to reports.
Apple reportedly presented the headset to its board of directors last week, indicating that a public unveiling is imminent. However, it may not be disclosed until later this year, and it may not hit shop shelves until 2023, so we may have to wait a bit before we can sample it for ourselves. Apple is working on a pair of AR spectacles that resemble Ray-Ban wayfarer glasses, but they are “still several years away from release,” according to reports.
