Apple’s first AR headset may debut in late 2022

Smartphone maker Apple’s long-rumoured Augmented Reality (AR) headset is reportedly coming next year. According to noted Apple analyst Ming Chi Kuo, the headset will be launched in the second quarter of 2022, which could mean that the headset will make an appearance with next year’s iPhones.

The AR headset has been rumoured for more than a couple of years now, ever since Apple first announced the ARKit platform for developers. Kuo also reiterated a rumour about the headset sporting “video see through” technology, which is a way for users to see the real world while seeing computer driven imagery, too. This could enhance the use cases for the headset, beyond general consumers, and make it useful for medical purposes, factory floors and more.

Kuo called the headset a head-mounted display, or HMD, and said that a company called Genius is a major supplier for lenses for the Apple AR headset. Genius is also the company that supplies the camera lenses for Apple’s iPhones right now. The iPhone maker had filed a patent in the US earlier, for a device that can layer augmented reality content over the real world through a headset. The headset will likely have a mix of sensors for tracking eye movements, etc., but Kuo also said that it will sport 15 cameras.

Further, Kuo said that the Apple AR headset may be priced at around $1,000 (about ₹72,996), which would put it in the same segment as the company’s flagship iPhones and iPads. It’s unclear whether Apple will design multiple versions of the headset to hit different price points, but lower prices have been rumoured in the past as well.

Apple’s interest in augmented reality has been well documented over the past few years. The company’s ARKit platform allows developers to build AR features for its devices, while Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) sensors on its devices are also meant to enhance AR apps.