Report: Apple's Rumored Headset Will Run Both AR, VR Technology

The report says that the device could hit the market in 2020:

The company is working on a headset capable of running both AR and VR technology, according to a person familiar with Apple’s plans. Plans so far call for an 8K display for each eye — higher resolution than today’s best TVs — that would be untethered from a computer or smartphone, the person said.

Interestingly, while previous rumors indicated that the headset would be somehow tied to an iPhone, CNET says Apple has different plans using wireless technology:

Apple’s headset would connect to a dedicated box using a high-speed, short-range wireless technology, according to a person familiar with the company’s plans. The box, which would be powered by a custom Apple processor more powerful than anything currently available, would act as the brain for the AR/VR headset. In its current state, the box resembles a PC tower, but it won’t be an actual Mac computer.

And unlike with the HTC Vive, users wouldn’t have to install special cameras in a room to detect their location. Everything would be built into Apple’s headset and box, the person said.

Apple’s Tim Cook has long been a proponent of AR technology, this is the first mention we’ve heard that the headset could also offer VR. While augmented reality places other objects into a normal field of view, like the hit game Pokemon Go, virtual reality provides a completely computer-generated landscape.