Apple is known to be working on a mixed reality headset. The AR/VR headset from Apple is tipped to launch soon — the headset might come as early as this year — and is expected to boast specs like two 8K displays, advanced eye-tracking technology, and a lot more. Now, The Information has reported that the upcoming AR/VR headset will require an iPhone or a Mac to unlock its full functionality. It’ll be similar to the first-gen Apple Watch that launched only with Wi-Fi connectivity and required an iPhone to work.

According to the report, Apple has completed work on the headset’s 5nm chip. It says that the chip “isn’t as powerful as the ones made for iPhones.” The chip will lack ML and AI capabilities, for which, it will probably require a connection to iPhone. In addition to the main CPU chip, Apple has developed two more chips for the headset which are ready for production by Apple’s main chip supplier TSMC. The report claims that TSMC is targeting 2022 for the chip’s mass production, and the device could be announced in 2022, as opposed to late 2021 proposed by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.

“Instead, the headset is meant to communicate wirelessly with a host device, presumably a phone, computer or tablet, that will handle the more powerful computing required to display virtual, mixed and augmented reality images, the person said.”

One of the extra chips is the headset’s image sensor. The report claims that Apple’s image sensor for the AR/VR headset is “unusually large” as it is “meant to capture high-resolution image data from a user’s surroundings for AR.” “TSMC has struggled to produce the chip without defects and has faced low yields during trial production,” the person said.

There have been rumors of Apple unveiling its Mixed Reality headset soon, however, TSMC has faced difficulty in manufacturing the chips for the headset, which might mean delays. Apple might only release the AR/VR headset in 2023 if the current timeline is to be believed. Are you looking forward to Apple’s AR/VR headset? What are your expectations from it? Drop a comment and let us know!