The Apple Vision Pro runs on an M2 chip equipped with ten GPU cores and eight CPU cores – the same version used in Apple's higher-end MacBook Air models. That's according to a post on X (formerly Twitter) by Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman.
Apple revealed early on that its mixed reality headset uses an M2 processor, but it wasn't clear until now which variant of the chip Apple had chosen.
Apple uses the M2 chip in both of its current 13.6- and 15.3-inch MacBook Air models, which launched in June 2022. Built on 5-nanometer technology, the M2 has an 8-core CPU, much like the M1, but it supports eight or ten GPU cores, up from seven or eight in the M1.
As things stand, Apple's $3,499 Vision Pro will launch on February 2 with what is officially a last-generation processor, given that Apple has since released 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models powered by M3 chips.
The M2 chip in Vision Pro is responsible for processing content, running the visionOS operating system, executing computer vision algorithms, and providing graphical content. However, it does not work alone.
Vision Pro offloads the processing of information coming from the cameras, sensors, and microphones to a dedicated custom-built R1 chip. Apple says that it can stream images to the displays within 12 milliseconds, providing a "virtually lag-free" view of the world.
The entry-level Vision Pro is equipped 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage space. Apple could offer models with up to 1TB of storage, but the existence of bigger capacities has not yet been confirmed.
In the same post on X, Gurman additionally confirmed that Apple customers will be able to purchase the Vision Pro online and at retail stores using Apple Card installments. Typically, Apple Card installments let customers spread the purchase over monthly payments with no interest. iPhone purchases can be made over 24 monthly payments, for example. Apple Vision Pro pre-orders open on Friday, January 19 at 5.00 a.m. PST in the United States.
Top Rated Comments
Years ago in a former assignment ( where my NDA has expired ) a guy from ARM held an internal workshop elaborating on efficiency as being one of their main interests.
Efficiency is for mobile devices the most critical task since it does not matter how fast a task is managed but how many tasks you can do since you want to avoid too much heat and too fast battery draining.
Therefore the main task of a development team is to find exactly that sweet spot where the performance is good enough while maintaining battery life GOOD ENOUGH.
I guess that's been the main target for Apple and of course the availability of hardware. We can only speculate if Apple wanted to allow orders already mid of last year when they revealed the AVP but I guess it is ready when it's ready.
I like the approach from Apple making things as good as they can at a certain point in time. I hate it when things are crippled by design or not top notch and in case of the AVP the main criteria was probably robustness of the process and the µIC is probably mainly doing housekeeping anyway.
The M2 in the iPad does an incredible Job and in the iPad PRO it uses exactly this combination of CPU and GPU cores. We can take it for granted that the total performance will be roughly at the level of the iPad PRO with 1 TB storage.
Not shabby and surely above most ARM based systems on this globe. The questions remains how much the R1 does and whether we'll find out more about the R1 design characteristics?
I am really looking forward to my AVP in Europe later this year and I am very jealous about the US - very much!
I'm skipping this one and see how the 1st gen pans out. And then I may or may not buy the 2nd gen for $3500.