Apple Working on AR/VR Headset With 8K Displays and No Smartphone or Computer Tether

Apple is working on a powerful headset that will support both augmented reality and virtual reality applications, according to an inside source that spoke to CNET.

The headset, which is codenamed T288, features an 8K display for each eye that would be untethered from either a computer or a smartphone.

applevrheadset
Instead, it would connect to a "dedicated box" using a high-speed short-range wireless technology called 60GHz WiGig. The box would be powered by a custom 5-nanometer Apple processor that's "more powerful than anything currently available" and similar to the custom chips that Apple will use in future Macs. At the current time, the box resembles a PC tower, but it "won't be an actual Mac computer."

The future of VR is expected to be cordless devices -- and Apple wants to bring its trademark simplicity to the setup. The box would use a wireless technology called 60GHz WiGig, the person familiar with Apple's plans said. A second-generation version, called 802.11ay, would boost speeds and range and make the technology more attractive for high-end VR headsets that aren't tethered to computers.

Users will not need to install special cameras in a room to detect their location as with some available VR headsets. All of the technology will be built into the headset and the box.

Past rumors have suggested that Apple is working on a number of virtual and augmented reality prototypes using a secret research unit, but recent information has been specific to a set of augmented reality smart glasses. It is not clear if the smart glasses mentioned in previous rumors are the same as this new AR/VR headset.

Those rumors have suggested Apple is developing an augmented reality headset with a dedicated display, a built-in processor, and an "rOS" or reality operating system that's controlled using input methods like touch panels, voice activation, and head gestures.

Apple has been heavily focused on augmented reality with the launch of ARKit in iOS 11, and Apple CEO Tim Cook has said multiple times that he believes augmented reality is more important than virtual reality. Augmented reality, says Cook, is the "larger of the two" because it allows people to "be very present," but he has admitted that virtual reality has interesting use cases for education and gaming.

Apple is said to be aiming to launch the headset in 2020, but CNET's source warns that work on the device is in the early stages and plans could be changed or scrapped.

Related Roundup: Apple Vision Pro
Tag: CNET
Buyer's Guide: Vision Pro (Neutral)
Related Forum: Apple Vision Pro

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 14, 2025 5:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro have a...
iPadOS 26 App Windowing

Apple Explains Why iPads Don't Just Run macOS

Friday June 13, 2025 7:46 am PDT by
iPadOS 26 allows iPads to function much more like Macs, with a new app windowing system, a swipe-down menu bar at the top of the screen, and more. However, Apple has stopped short of allowing iPads to run macOS, and it has now explained why. In an interview this week with Swiss tech journalist Rafael Zeier, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi said that iPadOS 26's new Mac-like ...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday June 12, 2025 8:58 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
Logitech Logo Feature

Logitech Announces Two New Accessories for WWDC

Friday June 13, 2025 7:22 am PDT by
Alongside WWDC this week, Logitech announced notable new accessories for the iPad and Apple Vision Pro. The Logitech Muse is a spatially-tracked stylus developed for use with the Apple Vision Pro. Introduced during the WWDC 2025 keynote address, Muse is intended to support the next generation of spatial computing workflows enabled by visionOS 26. The device incorporates six degrees of...
iOS 26 Screens

Here Are All the iOS 26 Features That Require iPhone 15 Pro or Newer

Thursday June 12, 2025 4:53 am PDT by
With iOS 26, Apple has introduced some major changes to the iPhone experience, headlined by the new Liquid Glass redesign that's available across all compatible devices. However, several of the update's features are exclusive to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models, since they rely on Apple Intelligence. The following features are powered by on-device large language models and machine...
CarPlay Liquid Glass Dark

Apple to Let iPhone Users Watch Videos on CarPlay Screen While Parked

Thursday June 12, 2025 6:16 am PDT by
Apple this week announced that iPhone users will soon be able to watch videos right on the CarPlay screen in supported vehicles. iPhone users will be able to wirelessly stream videos to the CarPlay screen using AirPlay, according to Apple. For safety reasons, video playback will only be available when the vehicle is parked, to prevent distracted driving. The connected iPhone will be able to...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

Hate iOS 26's Liquid Glass Design? Here's How to Tone It Down

Wednesday June 11, 2025 4:22 pm PDT by
iOS 26 features a whole new design material that Apple calls Liquid Glass, with a focus on transparency that lets the content on your display shine through the controls. If you're not a fan of the look, or are having trouble with readability, there is a step that you can take to make things more opaque without entirely losing out on the new look. Apple has multiple Accessibility options that ...
iOS 26 Feature

Apple Seeds Revised iOS 26 Developer Beta to Fix Battery Issue

Friday June 13, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Apple today provided developers with a revised version of the first iOS 26 beta for testing purposes. The update is only available for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 models, so if you're running iOS 26 on an iPhone 14 or earlier, you won't see the revised beta. Registered developers can download the new beta software through the Settings app on each device. The revised beta addresses an...
Mac Studio Feature

Apple Begins Selling Refurbished Mac Studio With M4 Max and M3 Ultra Chips at a Discount

Thursday June 12, 2025 10:14 am PDT by
Apple today added Mac Studio models with M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips to its online certified refurbished store in the United States, Canada, Japan, Singapore, and many European countries, for the first time since they were released in March. As usual for refurbished Macs, prices are discounted by approximately 15% compared to the equivalent new models on Apple's online store. Note that Apple's ...

Top Rated Comments

1050792 Avatar
93 months ago
Starting $9999 for the Regular version and $99999 for the Plus with 120hz.


Attachment Image
Score: 68 Votes (Like | Disagree)
920R Avatar
93 months ago
It will be out just after the MacPro in about 60 months
Score: 42 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JPack Avatar
93 months ago
Apple Watch, Electric Car, HomePod, now AR and VR.

Tim Cook is really throwing everything against the wall to see what sticks.
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
1050792 Avatar
93 months ago
You forgot about the Headseat edition which will be gold clad and start at $150,000
With a gold head band sold separately.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
LordVic Avatar
93 months ago
The box would be powered by a custom 5-nanometer Apple processor that's "more powerful than anything currently available" and similar to the custom chips that Apple will use in future Macs ('https://www.macrumors.com/2018/04/02/apple-custom-mac-chips-2020/'). At the current time, the box resembles a PC tower, but it "won't be an actual Mac computer."
this is hilarious to read.

thanks for the friday afternoon giggles MacRumours
[doublepost=1524853596][/doublepost]
So it's "not tethered", but you still need a dedicated box that it's wirelessly tethered to, for it to actually work... If that's actually the case, it sounds like it's still in early prototype phases, and not ready for shipping until it can stand on its own without the need for a secondary box.
but it's also not a computer! even though, it is in fact, a computer :p
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
shipdestroyerrr Avatar
93 months ago
or you could just make the home pods you released work together in stereo as promised...
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)