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Apple Could Launch AR/VR Headset With New M2 Chip Next Year

New models of the Apple Watch, iPad, HomePod and iPhone 14 are also rumored to be a part of the "deluge" of upcoming products.

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Steven Musil is the night news editor at CNET News. He's been hooked on tech since learning BASIC in the late '70s. When not cleaning up after his daughter and son, Steven can be found pedaling around the San Francisco Bay Area. Before joining CNET in 2000, Steven spent 10 years at various Bay Area newspapers.
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Steven Musil
2 min read
A multilayered block topped with the letters "AR" on an iPhone screen

Apple's mixed-reality headset could be on the way, but it isn't the only product expected next year.

James Martin/CNET

Apple's first mixed-reality headset may have something in common with the company's latest MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. The headset, which is expected to be just one piece in a "deluge" of products rumored to be unveiled next year, could sport the company's flagship M2 processor, according to Mark Gurman's Sunday newsletter for Bloomberg.

The M2, unveiled in June alongside the new MacBook Air and Pro, features redesigned central processing units and a significant memory increase, which would provide a big boost to the much-rumored headset over the previous M1 chip.

The headset, reportedly incorporating both virtual and augmented reality environments, is expected to provide a boon to the gaming industry. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said earlier in the week that the headset -- expected to be announced in January 2023 -- would be the most complicated product Apple has designed yet.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has been vocal in his excitement about AR. Earlier this week, he explained that the tech industry is still in the "very early innings" of this technology's possibilities.

"I couldn't be more excited about the opportunities we've seen in this space, and sort of stay tuned and you'll see what we have to offer," Cook told China Daily.

Gurman, a tech reporter who has a reputable track record of uncovering details about upcoming Apple products, expects other products to debut in the next 12 months, including four iPhone 14 models, three Apple Watch variations, several Macs with M2 and M3 chips, iPads, updated AirPods Pro earbuds, a fresh HomePod and an upgraded Apple TV. 

Apple didn't respond to a request for comment.