Over the past a number of months, we have heard reviews that Apple is engaged on a second-generation AR/VR headset, though there have been few particulars shared in regards to the gadget. MacRumors has now acquired new details about the challenge, giving us some perception into the design and {hardware} of the successor to the Imaginative and prescient Professional.
The second-generation Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional headset, identified internally beneath the codename Undertaking Alaska and gadget identifier N109, bears putting resemblance to the first-generation Imaginative and prescient Professional introduced at WWDC 2023. Whereas the gadget maintains the curved aesthetic and button placement of the primary Imaginative and prescient Professional, the speaker placement is anticipated to be totally different.
Early designs of the second-generation Apple headset don’t embrace the rounded areas that home the audio system on the first-generation mannequin. As an alternative, the headset options temples which can be flat and uniform all through their total size. Documentation associated to the Alaska challenge comprises references to a non-descript audio accent, probably an exterior speaker. At one level in growth, there have been two totally different design configurations for the highest vents – one being the identical because the vents on the first-generation Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional, and the latter that includes two clusters of tiny speaker-type holes.
One other key distinction has to do with the rear straps. The second-generation headset options straps which can be less complicated in design and look, being considerably harking back to the flat straps generally discovered on laptop computer baggage or backpacks. Prior rumors have advised that the following Apple headset might be cheaper than the Imaginative and prescient Professional, and the design of the rear straps on the second-generation headset lends some credence to this idea. Extra streamlined straps would presumably be simpler to mass produce, maybe leading to a decrease general value for finish customers.
Together with the opportunity of an audio accent, info from our sources means that Apple has plans for an exterior battery pack, just like the battery pack used for the first-generation Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional.
By way of {hardware}, the second-generation Imaginative and prescient Professional will proceed to incorporate an array of cameras and sensors just like these within the first headset. To be extra particular, the gadget will function a compass, ambient gentle sensor, magnetometer, and gyroscope, all of that are already current within the iPhone. For connectivity, the second era Apple headset will help Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5, and ultra-low latency audio (ULLA).
Key {hardware} parts of the second-generation Apple headset:
- 2 micro-OLED shows
- 1 TrueDepth digicam
- 4 pc imaginative and prescient (CV) cameras
- 2 RGB cameras
- 2 low gentle infrared illuminators
- Semi-automatic interpupillary distance (IPD) adjustment
- Compass, ambient gentle sensor, magnetometer, accelerometer, gyrocope
Present info signifies that the second-generation Apple headset is scheduled for the product validation testing (PVT) stage of growth in 2025, suggesting a launch date of late 2025 or early 2026. The knowledge we have shared comes from a dependable supply that has offered us with particulars about Apple’s plans previously, however it’s value noting that that is pre-production info and Apple’s plans may change earlier than last mass manufacturing begins on the second-generation headset.
For extra info on the present Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional, take a look at our devoted Imaginative and prescient Professional roundup.
