Update: An Apple headset may appear this year, but it will not join other headset makers in the metaverse Apparently the concept is limited and Apple is focused on other things

Apple's AR/VR headset remains a mystery, but a new report has emerged that may shed light on its advanced display technology and possible launch date

According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, as reported by MacRumors, Apple is looking to ship the rumored headset in late 2022 and begin shipping in Q1 2023

MacRumors came across this information after obtaining a research note from TF International Securities According to this report, the headset will feature a "3P pancake lens," a design that "folds back and forth to reflect light between the display and the lens"

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In the world of photography, pancake lenses refer to flat, thin prime lenses that cannot zoom due to their compact size These lenses tend to be wide-angle

This is not the only recent rumor regarding Apple's VR ambitions; according to a Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) report detailed by 9to5Mac, Apple's next headset could feature three displays

Sony is a manufacturer of 4K 4000 x 4000 Micro OLED panels with a 14" diagonal This would absolutely destroy the current VR resolution king, the HTC Vive Pro 2 As for the AMOLED screen, no suppliers were mentioned, but the DSCC said it is a "low-resolution screen for peripheral vision, thereby allowing forbated display systems "

and stated that it "will allow for a more compact and compact display system

Foveated display refers to the fossa of the human eye The fovea is located at the back of the eye, along the retina The fossa aids in sharp central vision Foveated displays essentially adjust the resolution to the area of interest to the human eye So, for example, if a person is focusing on a person in a crowd, the display will increase the resolution of that particular focus point and decrease the resolution of the peripheral areas FFR

If true, this suggests that Apple may implement eye-tracking technology, similar to what Sony confirmed with PSVR 2 at CES in 2022 However, Apple would not be the first company to do this; the Varjo V3 is a Foveated headset currently on the market

Like Kuo, DSCC believes that Apple will release the headset at the end of 2022 And, like a previous Bloomberg report, DSCC reports that it will cost "several thousand dollars"

Unlike the Oculus Quest 2, Apple seems to be targeting professionals and developers, at least initially

According to DSCC, Apple's headset will have multiple cameras for hand tracking and possibly a LiDAR sensor To accommodate two Sony 4000 x 4000 displays, the DSCC believes that Apple will deploy a high-end CPU and GPU

As for whether Apple's VR/AR headset will make our best VR headset list, that remains to be seen