Apple VR Headset To Arrive In 2022 And At A Steep Price: Report

Apple Inc AAPL is planning a virtual reality headset that may ultimately lead it to sell augmented reality glasses, Bloomberg reported Thursday.

What Happened: The headset with the working name N301 is still in a prototype stage, while the glasses dubbed N421 are at a nascent stage known as “architecture.” 

The Tim Cook-led company plans to launch the VR headset as early as 2022 and it will go head-to-head against Facebook Inc’s FB Oculus, Sony Corporation’s SNE PlayStation VR, and others, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg.

The glasses on the other hand are still several years away even though a launch in 2023 was previously planned, Bloomberg’s sources revealed.

The VR device is said to be expensive and would cost more than rival products. Apple may limit the sale to one headphone per store which by Bloomberg’s calculations — with nearly 500 stores — would cap annual sales at just over 180,000 units.

Why It Matters: The Cupertino, California-based company is planning to include its most powerful processors in the headset and the tested chips beat the performance of its M1 Mac silicon, noted Bloomberg.

See Also: What To Know About Spaces And Apple's Continued AR/VR Push

The iPhone maker has reportedly developed an approach that would allow those with poor eyesight to insert custom prescription lenses into the VR device.

In May, Apple acquired NextVR — a virtual reality startup that provides content for AR and VR headsets, including those made by its rivals.

Alphabet Inc GOOGL GOOG subsidiary Google sells an enterprise edition of its AR product Glass which it says are meant for “hands-free work.” The company ended the beta consumer version sales in 2015.

Related Link: Oculus' Move To Make Facebook Accounts Mandatory For Users Of Its VR Headsets Sparks Social Media Outrage