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Dual-chip set-up, three lenses and more rumours

EDITED BY ROB MEAD-GREEN

Apple’s long-awaited blended-reality headset could boast three displays.

Much like Steve Jobs, Tim Cook loves unveiling “one more thing” that he claims will turn the tech world upside down. Listening to the chatter in the rumour mill, it sounds like Apple’s next big project is a mixed reality (MR) headset – and there’s been a flurry of interesting news surrounding it in recent weeks.

Let’s start off with what we know already. Previously, various leaks and rumours have fleshed out what we can expect. That includes a lightweight design that doesn’t strain your neck, high-resolution 8K displays for each eye, and at least a dozen camera sensors. As well as that, it’s expected to blend augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) so that you can switch between them at will.

That last point is important for a new rumour concerning the headset. Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman has stated that Apple does not want the product to be an “all-day device” where you shut yourself off in a virtual world. Instead, the idea is you will be encouraged to use it for “bursts of gaming, communication, and content consumption.”

That mirrors something Tim Cook explained back in 2016. In an interview with Good Morning America, Cook said he preferred AR over VR “because this gives the capability for both of us to sit and be very present, talking to each other, but also have other things for both of us to see.” That gives substance to Gurman’s claims and gives an idea of what we can expect.

Apple silicon transition to finish by June

Apple announced its Macs would transition to its own Apple silicon chips back in June 2020, and at the time it said the whole process would take around two years. Now, reporter Mark Gurman says Apple could finish the whole thing by WWDC in June 2022.

At the time of writing, Apple only sold three Intel-based Macs: the high-end Mac mini, the 27-inch iMac, and the Mac Pro. The Mac mini and iMac could be on the cards for a spring launch, but Gurman says he expects the Mac Pro to be announced at WWDC but not released until later in the year.

According to Gurman, the Apple silicon Mac Pro will be smaller than the existing version and will boast a chip with up to 40 CPU cores and 129 GPU cores. The chip will be based on the M1 Pro and M1 Max rather than the M2.

This is all good news if you’ve been holding out for an update to Apple’s range of Intel-based Macs. Wait a little longer and you’ll be able to get an Apple silicon-equipped replacement.