News

Apple Likely To Release 8K VR Headset In 2022

Published

6 years ago

February 12, 2021

apple likely to release 8k vr headset in 2022

Unsplash

Near the end of January, Bloomberg published a report claiming that Apple is working on what could be the most expensive 8K VR headset ever made. Now, a JP Morgan analysis, spotted by China Times, states that the headset could be available as early as Q1 2022, but it’s likely to cost around $3,000 USD.

Why the steep price? Because Apple’s first VR headset will likely boast dual 8K displays with eye-tracking technology, offering far better resolution than other VR headsets that are commercially available at the moment. For example, the $300 USD Oculus Quest 2 has a singular fast-switch LCD panel with a 1832×1920 per eye resolution, while the $700 USD HTC Vive Cosmos displays text and graphics through a 2880 x 1700 combined pixel resolution.

apple 8k vr headset illustrations

In addition to an ultra-high-resolution display, the headset is also expected to feature the combination of an optical radar (LiDAR) and a Time-of-Flight (ToF) sensor for accurate location of the headset in space. All these and other components will be coordinated by a new version of the M1 chip, the first ARM-based system on a chip designed by Apple.

The chip will be manufactured by TSMC, one of the world’s biggest semiconductor foundries, and the final assembly of the headset will be handled Pegatron or Quanta Computer.

According to a drawing published by The Information, the headset could feature a HomePod-esque mesh fabric and swappable Apple Watch-style headbands. Depending on the specific materials Apple decides to use, the headset could be considerably lighter than its competitors, which would definitely help with long-term comfort.

Also Read: Google Launches Its Dunant Subsea Cable Between The US And Europe

Because of how expensive the headset will be, some experts predict that its target audience will be professional content creators—not regular users. Currently, producers of virtual reality content have to rely on third-party VR headsets and deal with the potential compatibility issues associated with them.

News

Microsoft Plans $10 Billion-Plus Gulf Expansion Despite Iran Conflict

Security is shaping Microsoft’s approach, from resilience work with governments to what it will say about how the money splits by country.

Published

4 days ago

September 24, 2026

Nour Nasir

Microsoft

Microsoft is planning more than $10 billion of investment across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait through 2030, Vice Chair and President Brad Smith told Reuters, calling the spending schedule aggressive. The Iranian conflict that began on February 28 has not persuaded the company to scale back.

“We’re sustaining all the investments we planned to make before this conflict started, and we are in fact adding to them,” Smith said. The $10 billion-plus total does not, however, show how large those additions are.

The investment, which Smith described as part of Microsoft’s continued infrastructure expansion, is aimed at cloud and AI infrastructure and at the company’s growing regional operations. Microsoft also intends to put more than $400 million into subsea and terrestrial connectivity across the Middle East by 2030.

The spending fits the region’s own ambitions too. Gulf governments have been investing heavily in AI infrastructure as part of a push to diversify their economies beyond oil and gas and turn themselves into global technology hubs. Major cloud and AI providers have been drawn in part by the land and relatively low-cost energy on offer.

Microsoft is widening its partnerships with regional AI companies, though not on identical terms. In 2024, it invested $1.5 billion in Abu Dhabi-based G42 for a minority stake, and Smith currently sits on G42’s board. Saudi Arabia’s Humain and Qatar’s Qai are working with Microsoft on selected priority areas, but Smith said the company does not plan to make capital investments in either.

Also Read: Egypt’s Mobile Wallets Are Booming, But Cash Still Has Power

The conflict has added another strand to Microsoft’s work in the region. Since it began, Smith said, the company has supported regional partners with digital resilience assessments, and it is now working with Gulf countries through a digital resilience initiative focused on preparedness and the protection of critical data.

So far, the company has given no country-by-country breakdown of the investment, citing security among other factors. So while the headline figure is public, how Microsoft divides the spending among the four countries is not.