Apple's rumored AR/VR headset won't work without an iPhone connection

Apple's long rumored augmented/virtual reality headset will not be a standalone device and will require a connection to an iPhone to work, according to the latest information leaked online.

What

Sources have said that the headset will require a connection to another device to work - the exact wording is "phone or similar device," so it looks like an iPad or even Mac might work too.

It looks like most of the processing and imaging work will be done on an accompanying device, which was the case with older VR headsets like the Samsung Gear VR or Google Cardboard. This means that the headset itself should cost less and be lighter.

The report says that Apple's AR/VR headset will have its own chipset, but it won't be particularly powerful - apparently it won't have the capabilities of the processors found in the iPhone, iPad and Mac.

More details

Another interesting point is that the image sensor inside the device is described as "unusually large". This raises some questions about the size of the finished headset.

At this point, it seems as though this headset is being positioned separately from Apple Glass glasses, which have been rumored for several years. Theoretically, they will appear after the release of the main AR/VR headset, and are said to be similar to Google Glass rather than Oculus Quest 2.

Source: 9to5mac, theinformation

Illustration: Julia M Cameron