Report: Apple's VR headset already has a powerful sequel - even before launch

VR headset
(Image credit: Mark Nazh / Shutterstock)

Apple’s AR / VR headset has yet to be officially revealed by the company, but fresh information on the mixed reality device points doesn't just point towards its unveiling next year: it also hints that a quick turn around for a follow-up, second generation device in en route, too.

Regular Apple analyst and insider Ming-Chi Kuo has shared new details about the company’s mixed reality ambitions, detailing a first generation device that will set the bar for premium virtual reality and augmented reality hardware to come. 

Ming-Chi Kuo states that the headset will weigh in somewhere between 300 and 400 grams (comparing favourably against the 500-ish gram Oculus Quest 2), but will manage to pack in high resolution displays for each eye, and a level of performance similar to what can be expected from the company’s impressive M1 laptop chipsets.

With high-end specs comes a high-end price, and the analyst is anticipating the Apple HMD to start at around $1,000 and launch in 2022, aimed at an early adopter market willing to take a punt on such expensive nascent technology. Despite the expense, Apple is said to expect to sell between 2.5 and 3.5 million headsets across the course of 2023.

Next-gen on the way

But Apple is already also thinking about the next generation of the device, according to Kuo. Lighter, faster, with an updated industrial design and new battery system, Kuo anticipates this being revealed in the second half of 2024, with demand for the product expected to be upwards of 10 million sales.

Apple reportedly has 1,000 engineers working on its VR and AR projects, and with it being the first new major hardware area the company has expanded into since the Apple Watch, it’s unsurprising that it’s already looking forward to iteration on the initial design.

What’s most interesting, however, is Apple’s approach to the market generally. Consumer VR headsets (and to a lesser extent AR headsets) have been around in some capacity for several years now. But the first inkling of them approaching a level of mainstream success has come from the Oculus Quest 2 – a device that intelligently offers just-good-enough specs to hit an approachable price point that newcomers are willing to take a risk on. VR isn’t for everyone, and accessibility – in terms of both access to the hardware and a reasonable price tag – seems to have been the magic formula to get users to buy in.

But Apple’s stance on all its market areas has always been to attempt to be class leading, in terms of technology and industrial design, with no expense spared. When Apple enters a market, it does so with the intention to dominate it. There’s the suggestion then that the Oculus devices have proved the market is ready to upgrade to something with a premium price tag and that – if Apple can provide an accessible and smooth user experience – people will be willing to pay that premium to stay within the aspirational bubble that Apple has built.

Via 9to5 Mac

Gerald Lynch

Gerald is Editor-in-Chief of iMore.com. Previously he was the Executive Editor for TechRadar, taking care of the site's home cinema, gaming, smart home, entertainment and audio output. He loves gaming, but don't expect him to play with you unless your console is hooked up to a 4K HDR screen and a 7.1 surround system. Before TechRadar, Gerald was Editor of Gizmodo UK. He is also the author of 'Get Technology: Upgrade Your Future', published by Aurum Press.

Read more
The Meta Quest Pro on a desk on its charging station with its controllers on charge too
Meta Quest Pro 2: the latest news and what we know about the rumored VR headset
Google Android XR, Glasses, and Project Moohan
Samsung Project Moohan: the latest news for the Android XR headset
The Meta Quest Pro on its charging pad on a desk, in front of a window with the curtain closed
Samsung, Apple and Meta want to use OLED in their next VR headsets – but only Meta has a plan to make it cheap
Project Moohan prototype at Samsung Galaxy Unpacked, an XR goggles headset on display in a show area
Android XR comes out swinging with our first look at Samsung Project Moohan, but the VR headset just makes me want AR glasses more
RayBan Meta Smart Glasses
Mark Zuckerberg just teased next-gen Ray-Ban smart glasses – here are 4 things I want to see
The Meta Quest Pro on its charging pad on a desk, in front of a window with the curtain closed
Meta Quest Pro 2 could be back from the dead (yet again), and Quest 4 is reportedly in the works
Latest in iPhone
Apple iPhone 16 Pro HANDS ON
Leaked iPhone 17 dummy units may have given us our best look yet at all four models
Three iPhone 16 handsets on show
Apple could launch an iPhone 17 Ultra this year – but we've heard these rumors before
Apple iPhone 16 Pro on sky blue background with don't miss text overlay
Verizon has just quietly debuted its best iPhone 16 Pro deal yet - get it for free alongside a plan that costs just $25/mo
Apple iPhone 16e on blue background with big savings text overlay
Total Wireless' latest iPhone 16e deal gets you $300 off plus a cheap plan for a year
The Apple iPhone 16e held at a slant at a window
From iPhone to Android and (almost) back again – the iPhone 16e failed to lure me back to iOS
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max REVIEW
The latest iPhone 17 Pro Max leak may have given us another look at its upcoming redesign
Latest in News
Google Pixel 8a in aloe green showing
Google Pixel 9a benchmark link teases the performance of the upcoming mid-ranger
Quordle on a smartphone held in a hand
Quordle hints and answers for Monday, March 17 (game #1148)
NYT Strands homescreen on a mobile phone screen, on a light blue background
NYT Strands hints and answers for Monday, March 17 (game #379)
NYT Connections homescreen on a phone, on a purple background
NYT Connections hints and answers for Monday, March 17 (game #645)
Apple iPhone 16 Pro HANDS ON
Leaked iPhone 17 dummy units may have given us our best look yet at all four models
A super close up image of the Google Gemini app in the Play Store
It's official: Google Assistant will be retired for phones this year, with Gemini taking over