Kuo: Apple’s mixed reality headset gets support for Wi-Fi 6E

The unannounced Apple VR-cum AR headset will support Wi-Fi 6E, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. For example, Apple wants to realize a higher bandwidth and lower the latency with regard to its mixed reality glasses, according to the analyst.

Apple is adding support for the Wi-Fi 6E protocol so that the headset does not require a wired connection to a computer, Kuo said in a report written by 9to5Mac. According to the analyst, a major disadvantage of mixed reality glasses that have been launched so far is that they all require a wired connection. This is because they require additional bandwidth due to the high resolution needed. That’s why Kuo thinks more such devices will use Wi-Fi 6E in the future.

In the report, Kuo writes that Meta, aka Facebook, and Sony will also introduce a mixed reality headset with Wi-Fi 6E in 2022. In the long term, Kuo expects headset makers to implement mmWave-5G in the MR goggles, as it should improve the wireless experience even more. Wi-Fi 6E is an extension of the 802.11ax protocol. It adds use of the 6GHz frequency band for faster and more stable Wi-Fi connections.

Kuo has been distributing information about Apple’s mixed reality glasses for some time. For example, he said in March that the headset will be a standalone model and will have micro-OLED screens. Kuo thinks the headset will go into production in the last quarter of 2022. Mark Gurman of Bloomberg also mentions a release year of 2022 for the headset in a Sunday newsletter, Apple Insider writes. The device probably won’t come cheap; according to a report by The Information, the device should cost about three thousand dollars.

Drawing of what the Apple headset might look like based on descriptions from anonymous sources (source: The Information)