The iPhone maker's mixed-reality headset - which combines
both augmented and virtual reality - is set to launch in this year's spring
event, Bloomberg said, adding that the device will cost around $3,000.
Apple's mixed-reality device would compete with the likes of
Meta's Quest Pro virtual and mixed-reality headset, which it launched late last
year for $1,500, half of the Apple device's reported price.
The Cupertino, California-based company now plans to focus
on lowering the price of the follow-up version of its mixed-reality device,
expected as soon as 2024 or early 2025, instead of working on the AR glasses,
according to the report.
Apple will aim to do so by using chips on par with those in
the iPhone rather than components found in higher-end Mac computers.
Apple did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for
comment.
The Information website first reported Apple's plans to
unveil a cheaper mixed-reality headset on Tuesday.
Earlier in the day, the iPhone maker unveiled MacBooks
powered by its new and faster M2 Pro and M2 Max chips in a surprise launch
weeks ahead of its usual schedule.
The roll-out of the devices using Apple's latest versions of
the M2 chip, which it debuted last year, is an outgrowth of the tech giant's
decision in 2020 to use semiconductors designed in-house after 15 years of
relying on Intel's technology.
Shares of Apple rose about 1 percent, outperforming a
broadly weaker market. The stock lost about 27 in 2022, its biggest fall since
the 2008 financial crisis. © Reuters