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Apple VR Headset
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Apple is expected to launch a VR headset with three displays and an AR pass-through mode in the second half of 2022, display analysts predict.
The Apple VR headset will reportedly have an “innovative display configuration” consisting of two microOLED displays and a single AMOLED panel, analysts at Display Supply Chain Consultants said. It will support transfer virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) modes.
Sony is expected to supply Apple with the necessary micro OLED panels. The company recently showed off a 4K VR display with roughly 4,000 pixels per inch, which DSCC says may have been developed for Apple. Assuming a 4000 x 4000 pixel matrix, DSCC estimates that the screen will measure 1.4 inches diagonally.
On the third AMOLED screen, analysts predicted that it could be used for low-resolution peripheral vision. This is because AMOLED screens have traditionally had too low a pixel density for VR.
The advanced display configuration will likely come at a high price for consumers, DSCC said. The firm added that it expects the device to cost “several thousand dollars” and offered some predictions about its target market.
“Our assumption is that the first-generation headset will be a high-end device aimed at professionals and developers to expand Apple’s ecosystem in AR/VR,” the analysts wrote. “The device will also have multiple cameras that will allow for hand tracking and possibly a LiDAR sensor, according to rumors. Apple will likely include a powerful mobile CPU and GPU in the headset.”
DSCC also notes that Meta, formerly known as Facebook, is “on track” to capitalize on the appetite for virtual reality, with an estimated installed base of 10 million headsets. However, Apple’s entry into the space will represent a “significant sign that AR/VR will become a major computing platform,” the analysts wrote.
Rumors of a high-end Apple VR headset have been making the rounds for some time. In early 2021, a report indicated that the Cupertino tech giant could unveil a $3,000 mixed-reality headset with ultra-high-resolution screens in 2022. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said the device could weigh less than a pound, while that Bloomberg he hopes the device can handle “high-quality VR gaming with agile chips and high-end displays.”
DSCC is an analytics firm that has a good track record in forecasting Apple’s screen movements. For example, DSCC correctly predicted that the iPhone 12 Pro would not have 120Hz support and that the 2021 MacBook Pro models would have Mini LED displays.
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