Oliver Haslam·

Apple Working On 16K Resolution VR, AR Headset That Works Without A Mac Or iPhone

With iOS 11 and the ARKit framework that came with it, Apple became the biggest player in augmented reality almost overnight.

With apps and games that are now capable of taking advantage of everything that AR can offer, assuming you have compatible hardware, Apple continues to push what the technology is capable of.

A new report now says that Apple intends to take things to another level, beyond the iPhone and iPad, by potentially building its own AR/VR headset.

That report comes out of CNET, which reports that Apple’s headset will build on the company’s success in AR and include the next step, VR with the suggestion being that a headset would be able to combine both technologies and create one, super-immersive gaming experience.

The project is codenamed T288 within Apple, according to the report, with each of the headset’s two displays capable of 8K resolution. That would obviously mean that users would be staring at no less than 16K-worth of pixels, something that is mind boggling enough without the next point – this will all be self-contained, without the need for something like a Mac or an iPhone to handle the heavy lifting.

Previous reports on a potential Apple headset from Bloomberg mentioned a 2020 launch window, and that is the same timescale CNET believes, too. This is alongside another project ongoing within Apple that relates to a pair of AR glasses, with component makers already being lined up to allow the glasses to be made.

Despite the project being further down the pipeline than the full on headset approach, it’s still possible Apple will can the product before it makes its way to market. Apple throws many ideas against the wall behind closed doors; not all of them find their way into Apple Stores.

(Source: CNET | Top image is Microsoft HoloLens with Apple logo on it)

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