Apple's rumored AR & VR 'T288' headset may use 8K eyepieces, implement WiGig
Apple's rumored AR headset will be capable of both augmented and virtual reality, and will likely depend on a separate box acting as a "brain" for the device, a report claimed on Friday.
A Magic Leap AR headset.
The headset -- still in its early phases and first discussed in November 2017 -- is expected to use 8K displays for each eye, and a processor faster than any Apple currently makes. The product has once again been codenamed "T288," and is said to be targeted for a 2020 launch.
Sources familiar with the matter told CNET that in its present form the prototype box looks like a PC tower. To overcome some of the obstacles of VR systems like the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, all of the sensors needed for motion tracking will be built into both the headset and box. The Vive and Rift depend on external satellites to detect full-body movements.
Because of the bandwidth demands of AR and VR, and to avoid cables, Apple's system will allegedly use 60-gigahertz WiGig. It could potentially use WiGig 2.0, or 802.11ay, which should be finalized in 2019.
Apple's processor for the device is expected to use 5-nanometer technology, half the size of the process used in the iPhone X's A11 Bionic. TSMC is allegedly starting its 7nm process this year -- but confirmation of that may need to wait for the 2018 flagship iPhone releases.
In the past year Apple executives like CEO Tim Cook have expressed a strong interest in AR. The iPhone 8 and X were engineered with it in mind, and the company has also released ARKit, which simplifies AR development on iOS. Numerous AR- and VR-related patents have been published, among them ones for eye tracking and partial display updates.
The headset itself has been more mysterious. The November report was the first to mention the T288 name and 2020 window and also said that the device uses new software dubbed "rOS," and may use of a mix of Siri commands, head gestures, and/or a touch panel for control.
8K eyepieces would put Apple's products well beyond current hardware. The Vive Pro, for example, is already sharper than most VR headsets with a resolution of 1,440-by-1,600 pixels per eye. The set is nevertheless bulky, and can only go wireless through an optional adapter.
A Magic Leap AR headset.
The headset -- still in its early phases and first discussed in November 2017 -- is expected to use 8K displays for each eye, and a processor faster than any Apple currently makes. The product has once again been codenamed "T288," and is said to be targeted for a 2020 launch.
Sources familiar with the matter told CNET that in its present form the prototype box looks like a PC tower. To overcome some of the obstacles of VR systems like the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, all of the sensors needed for motion tracking will be built into both the headset and box. The Vive and Rift depend on external satellites to detect full-body movements.
Because of the bandwidth demands of AR and VR, and to avoid cables, Apple's system will allegedly use 60-gigahertz WiGig. It could potentially use WiGig 2.0, or 802.11ay, which should be finalized in 2019.
Apple's processor for the device is expected to use 5-nanometer technology, half the size of the process used in the iPhone X's A11 Bionic. TSMC is allegedly starting its 7nm process this year -- but confirmation of that may need to wait for the 2018 flagship iPhone releases.
In the past year Apple executives like CEO Tim Cook have expressed a strong interest in AR. The iPhone 8 and X were engineered with it in mind, and the company has also released ARKit, which simplifies AR development on iOS. Numerous AR- and VR-related patents have been published, among them ones for eye tracking and partial display updates.
The headset itself has been more mysterious. The November report was the first to mention the T288 name and 2020 window and also said that the device uses new software dubbed "rOS," and may use of a mix of Siri commands, head gestures, and/or a touch panel for control.
8K eyepieces would put Apple's products well beyond current hardware. The Vive Pro, for example, is already sharper than most VR headsets with a resolution of 1,440-by-1,600 pixels per eye. The set is nevertheless bulky, and can only go wireless through an optional adapter.
Comments
Apple already makes a heckuva profit from them.
I think many of us here misread Apple's intent when Mr. Cook discussed AR as opposed to VR. I can't see Apple leaving a few $B on the table from one of their most profitable services segments. They'll do a VR gaming headset.
Imagine for instance the HomePod had been a Samsung product rather than Apple's. It would have been roundly ridiculed as too expensive, too limited, too niche, and not ready for market with too many vaporware promises of features to come. Coming from Apple instead carries a lot of weight.
But shares may go up as well as down and I'm not an investor in APPL and what I have said is total rubbish.
The pointing device is not a mouse or a finger, it will be your two eyes. Hands free and quick as a glance, and useful in another dimension, the 3rd or z-axis. “Hey Siri, what’s the address of that building? . . . What kind of tree is that in front of it.?” (Actually, Siri will remind you that she knows what tree you’re looking at.)
Text will be suspended in space, and cursor placement to change a word or letter will happen effortlessly. Dyslexics will learn to read and spell.
Binocular fusion, seeing the world in depth, is a powerful thing.
Or are you just totally clueless like everyone else and making wild guesses? Yyyeaaah.