Apple's new product lineup for 2022 will include a series of powerful new Mac pros, a redesigned MacBook Air, and a new iPad Pro. But the big question remains on whether the AR headset will make an appearance this year or not,
Apple’s new product lineup for 2022 will include a series of powerful new Mac pros based on the M1 and M1 Max chipset, along with a redesigned MacBook Air and a new iPad Pro. This is what Bloomberg’s Mark has revealed in his latest Power On newsletter.
Bloomberg’s Mark is predicting a new iMac Pro with a bigger screen, Mac Pro with 40 CPU cores and 128 GPU cores, a new Mac mini, which was expected at last year’s MacBook Pro event, but did not make an appearance. The MacBook Air will get another redesign, while an updated entry-level MacBook Pro and iPad Pro with wireless charging is also expected during the course of the year.
What is not clear is whether Apple will introduce the M2 chipset, which would be the next-generation version of its existing powerful M1 silicon. The newsletter also mentions the upcoming iOS 16 which is code-named Sydney while macOS 13 is code-named Rome
The big question though is whether Apple will announce its virtual reality (VR) or mixed reality (VR+Augmented Reality AR) headset this year or not. The headset is code-named N301, while the OS is code-named Oak, according to Bloomberg’s Mark. Apple’s headset has been talked about for some time now, and the expectation is that it will make an appearance this year.
Apple AR/VR headset: What we know so far
According to earlier reports by Bloomberg, the headset will be a pricey product, starting at $2000. It could also be aimed at developers in the initial phase. Apple is also a bit late to the VR headset party, with Meta (formerly Facebook) having a bit of edge in the space given the Oculus Quest 2. Meta itself has plans to launch a more advanced VR/AR headset in 2022 code-named Project Cambria, which the company showcased when it rebranded itself as Meta with a focus on the ‘metaverse’.
Meanwhile, Apple analyst Ming had said in a note in December last year, that the headset will support augmented reality and virtual reality and come with an array of advanced sensors. The sensors will include advanced hand gesture detection, as well as 3D sensors for face detection, tracking.
The technology will be much more advanced than the one that Apple is currently using on Face ID for iPhones, iPads. The Face ID sensors are also used to track a user’s head movements and expressions for the Emoji and Animoji features on the devices.
The report had said that Apple’s AR/VR headset will be able to detect details of hand movements and ensure a “more vivid human-machine interface.” It will support eye-tracking, iris recognition, voice control, skin detection, facial expression detection, and spatial detection among other features.
For charging, we could also expect to see the company switching to a USB Type-C connector. This partly has to do with the European Union’s new rule that mandates all mobile producers to adopt a single universal charging solution, which further results in reduced e-wastage. However, Jon Prosper notes that Apple still might hold onto its lightning ports
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