Apple analyst MIng-Chi Kuo believes the company’s first mixed reality headset will launch in 2022 with Wi-Fi 6E support. Kuo’s note comes just a day after Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman provided some insight into Apple’s mixed reality headset and claimed it will launch in 2022.
Kuo previously claimed that Apple had delayed the production of its AR/VR headset until the end of 2022, with a possible launch in 2023. Now though, he seems to be going back on his claims and believes a Q4, 2022 launch is possible for Apple’s mixed reality headset.
Apple’s mixed reality headset supporting Wi-Fi 6E would be notable as no other Apple product supports this Wi-Fi standard yet. Kuo says supporting Wi-Fi 6E will be a “basic requirement for head-mounted displays (HMDs) to improve the wireless experience.”
Apart from Apple, Kuo believes Meta and Sony will also launch their mixed reality headset in 2022, with Sony probably being the first to market with a 2Q22 launch.
Given that mixed reality headsets in the future will wirelessly communicate with a PC or connected smartphone, they will need high wireless bandwidth to deliver an immersive experience. The first mixed reality headset from Apple will be tethered to an iPhone, so such high bandwidth wireless communication will be more of a necessity.
Compared to Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi 6E offers lower latency, higher transmission speeds, and less interference making it ideal for such use cases. Unlike Wi-Fi 6, it operates in the 6GHz band. Wi-Fi 6E is yet to go mainstream, with only a handful of consumer devices supporting it. Apple’s iPhone 13 lineup or the new M1 Pro/Max MacBook Pros do not support this new standard.
