Apple's VR headset will reportedly go on sale this year and feature micro OLED displays

(Image credit: Ian Zelbo)

Apple will launch its much anticipated VR headset later this year, according to a report in Korea's ET News.

The article supports suggestions made last year in Nikkei that Apple has teamed up with TSMC to develop micro OLED displays for the devices. The Taiwanese company already produces the A-series and M-series chips used in Apple's devices.

Micro OLED displays are less than one inch in size, ultra-thin and do not require filters, making them highly energy-efficient and ideal for use in AR/VR glasses. As the screens are also built directly onto chip wafers rather than glass, it is thought that Apple can also make use of TSMC's existing production infrastructure, keeping costs down.

Apple's interest in dipping its toes into the augmented and virtual reality headgear market has long been speculated. With the arrival of the Metaverse, the Cupertino company seems eager to be part of what some are expecting to be a profitable emerging market. Recent figures predict that by the end of 2022, there will be global demand for up to 14.19 million VR/AR units, compared to 9.86 million in 2021, and the likes of Microsoft, Samsung and even Meta itself are all getting in on the headset action.

Last year, it was reported that Apple is developing both augmented reality (AR) glasses and virtual reality (VR) headsets. According to Bloomberg, the VR headset was mooted for launch this year, while the AR glasses were a bit further down the line – 2023, or thereabouts.

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Mary is a staff writer at What Hi-Fi? and has over a decade of experience working as a sound engineer mixing live events, music and theatre. Her mixing credits include productions at The National Theatre and in the West End, as well as original musicals composed by Mark Knopfler, Tori Amos, Guy Chambers, Howard Goodall and Dan Gillespie Sells.