Production Halted and Future Prospects
Manufacturing of Apple Vision Pro, Apple’s ultra-advanced mixed-reality headset, has stopped as the company debates its future direction. While Apple weighs several paths to revamp the product, it faces major issues with steep pricing. At the same time, Apple reportedly discusses how it can utilize its proprietary 5G modem, a crucial component to upgrade future gadgets-including Vision Pro.
No 5G Modem for Next Year’s Model
While rumors have been floating that a follow-up with the Apple-designed 5G modem, those hopes are likely dashed. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, that won’t happen with the second generation of Vision Pro, either. There have been talks that the company is considering placing cellular connectivity on headsets, a move that can make devices truly game-changing. That’s more likely going to come with Apple’s future AR glasses, though — and they’re still going to be a few years away.
The Road to AR Glasses
Apple’s strategy appears to include AR glasses tethered to an iPhone, leveraging the smartphone’s processing power to minimize the computational load on the glasses themselves. This approach could serve as a precursor to fully standalone AR devices. The long-term vision includes deploying Apple’s in-house 5G modem across various product lines, from Macs to iPhones. It’s also reported that the iPhone 18 Pro series with mmWave baseband chips could be a milestone for the company in 5G development and might also beat Qualcomm.
Benefits of Integrating 5G in Vision Pro
An in-house 5G modem integrated into Apple Vision Pro has several key advantages: it would decrease the size and weight of the whole device for better comfort of use, and it could enable untethered connectivity, without the need for pairing with an iPhone for internet connectivity. This would be a game-changer in changing the way people experience augmented reality.
But Apple is still in the exploratory stages and may well kill the idea if it can’t make commercial sense. As with all speculative reports, it’s best to take this news with caution until official announcements are made.
Looking Ahead
Apple’s push toward adding 5G capability to its devices in its lineup shows the dedication it gives to innovation. If there isn’t going to be a 5G modem on the Vision Pro anytime soon, it also lays the bed for complete change in AR and mixed reality.
Source: BloomBerg