Apple’s mixed-reality headset likely to pack an M2 processor

In his latest edition of the Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says he expects Apple’s upcoming mixed-reality headset to pack an M2 processor.

“I’m told the latest internal incarnations of the device run the base M2 chip along with 16 gigabytes of RAM,” he writes. 

Built using second-generation 5-nanometer technology, M2 takes the industry-leading performance per watt of M1 even further with an 185 faster CPU, a 35% more powerful GPU, and a 40% faster Neural Engine, according to Johny Srouji, Apple’s senior vice president of Hardware Technologies. It also delivers 50% more memory bandwidth compared to M1, and up to 24GB of fast unified memory, he adds.

“M2 starts the second generation of M-series chips and goes beyond the remarkable features of M1,” Srouji says. “With our relentless focus on power-efficient performance, M2 delivers a faster CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine. And along with higher memory bandwidth and new capabilities like ProRes acceleration, M2 continues the tremendous pace of innovation in Apple silicon for the Mac.”

When it comes to the mixed-reality headset (“Apple Glasses,” perhaps?) such a device will almost certainly arrive in mid-to-late 2023. It will be a head-mounted display. Or may have a design like “normal” glasses. Or it may be eventually be available in both. The Apple Glasses may or may not have to be tethered to an iPhone to work. Other rumors say that Apple Glasses could have a custom-build Apple chip and a dedicated operating system dubbed “rOS” for “reality operating system.”

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