Apple develops an 8K-resolution VR/AR headset that doesn't require a smartphone or computer connection

April 28, 2018

Apple is working on a very powerful headset that will support augmented and virtual reality applications, according to an inside source who spoke to CNET.

The headset, codenamed T288, carries an 8K resolution display for each eye that doesn't need to be assisted by a smartphone or computer.

Instead, it will be connected to a special box that will use a short-range, high-speed wireless technology called 60GHz WiGig. The box will carry a 5-nanometer processor built by Apple that will be the most powerful in its class among the competition and similar to the chips Apple is already planning for the Macs of the future. At this stage, the box looks like a PC tower, but it won't be a computer Mac.

"The future of VR technology is expected to be wireless devices and Apple wants to be a pioneer in this direction. The box will use wireless technology called 60GHz WiGig, says the person familiar with Apple's plans in this regard. A second-generation version, dubbed 802.11ay, will boost speeds and range making the technology more attractive to high-end VR headsets that don't depend on a computer."

Users will not need to install special cameras in a room to track their location as with some VR headsets on the market. All the technology will be inside the headset and the box.

Past rumours have suggested that Apple is working on developing some augmented and virtual reality prototypes using a secret research unit, but recent reports point to the familiar augmented reality glasses. It's not yet clear if these smart glasses that were often mentioned in the past are the same as the new AR/VR headset that Apple is rumored to be developing.

These rumours have highlighted that Apple is developing an augmented reality headset with a dedicated display, a processor and rOS that will be the reality operating system and will handle input methods such as touch panels, voice activation and head gestures.

Apple has been particularly focused on augmented reality with the release of ARKit for iOS 11, and the company's CEO Tim Cook, has stated many times his opinion that augmented reality is more important than virtual reality. Augmented reality, Cook says, is the bigger between the two because it allows people to live in the present more intensely, though he has admitted that virtual reality has interesting use cases in gaming and education.

Apple is expected to release the headset in 2020, although the source told CNET that the development of the company's new venture is at an early stage, meaning that everything could change at any time.