Apple Reportedly Puts AR Glasses On Back Burner As It Plots Less Expensive, Mixed-Reality Headset – SlashGear

While Apple’s first mixed reality headset is expected to be a groundbreaking product for Apple, several reports have indicated that it will be a niche product — even by Apple standards. While we have little information about the technological aspects of Apple’s first mixed reality headset, rumors have indicated that it will feature high-resolution displays, more than 10 cameras, and sensors that can detect where the user is looking. In addition, the headset will also have a powerful processor — most likely a variant of the company’s latest M2-class chip.

It seems Apple understands that a product that costs over $3,000 will never have mass market appeal. For the same reason, the company is also working on a cheaper mixed-reality headset. Bloomberg’s report says Apple is currently looking at pricing this headset at around the $1500 mark, making it as expensive as the top-end iPhone models. The cheaper headset will likely borrow silicon from iPhone hardware rather than the desktop-class CPU used on the top-end headset. Given that Meta’s existing headset launched at a similar price tag, Apple looks pretty bullish on finding a good enough number of consumers willing to splurge that kind of cash on a mixed-reality headset.

Interestingly, recent developments surrounding Apple’s dual-device strategy for mixed-reality headsets are in line with previous rumors. For example, trademark filings have previously revealed the names “Reality Pro” and “Reality One” that Apple could possibly be using for these headsets.