Ever since Apple unveiled its Vision Pro headset, we’ve known that the M2 chip is at the heart, powering the experience alongside Apple’s new R1 processor.
This weekend, Mark Gurman took to Twitter to update the world on the Vision Pro, and has revealed exactly which M2 version sits inside. He reports that there’s going to be a slightly boosted M2 chip inside, the variant with 10 GPU cores, and 8 CPU cores. That’s the same that sits at the heart of the MacBook Air and the base model MacBook Pro — and consistently smashes benchmarks.
What’s inside?
When the headset was announced, Apple had already let us know that the M2 would be running the show. Now that we have an idea of what kind of chip is inside, however, we have a better view of what kind of power the headset will have on tap.
Because the Vision Pro isn’t just a simple ‘screen’ replacement and has its own computing to do, Apple couldn’t just use an old chip — it had to go with something both new and powerful. Those 3D environments and AR computing tasks are going to be hard work for any CPU, and a slightly more powerful M2 is going to make sure that those tasks are handled with aplomb.
Price-wise, perhaps, you would’ve thought that there would have been space for an M2 Pro or one of Apple’s more impressive chips, but then there were likely thermal issues in the headset. Even more likely is battery issues — given the already small battery life, a more powerful chip could well sap the cell even quicker.
Either way, you’ll still have to pay $3,499 for the Vision Pro, whether there’s a monster CPU inside or the innards of the MacBook Air. If the M2 is all that’s needed to power the headset, then that should be enough for us.
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