Apple announced the Vision Pro at the WWDC 2023 and now the company might be working on a deeper integration of the mixed-reality headset with the upcoming iPhone 15, according to reports.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes that Apple “will aggressively upgrade hardware specifications” to build a more competitive ecosystem surrounding the Vision Pro.

“The ecosystem is one of the key success factors for Vision Pro, including the integration with other Apple hardware products, and related main hardware specifications are Wi-Fi and UWB,” he added.

Kuo also believes that the upcoming iPhone 15 models could have an upgraded Ultra Wideband (UWB) chip “for improved performance or reduced power consumption for nearby Interactions”.

The UWB chip that Apple uses, its U1 chip, made its debut in the iPhone 11 and has since been a part of every iPhone generation. Apple's AirTag item tracker, Apple Watch Series 6 and newer, HomePod mini, second-generation full-size HomePod, and most recent AirPods Pro charging case all contain the U1 chip.

The U1 chip is used by Apple for a variety of purposes, including AirDrop, Precision Finding, Find My Features, and Handoff. According to Kuo, an updated version of the U1 chip will boost the functionality of these functions and be crucial for integrating Vision Pro with Apple's other products.

Kuo added that the iPhone 16 — which is likely to be launched in late 2024 — could upgrade to Wi-Fi 7 from the current Wi-Fi 6 for a “better ecosystem experience”.

The newest Wi-Fi standard, Wi-Fi 7, promises to significantly increase data throughput and transfer speeds. The advantages that Wi-Fi 7 will provide for augmented and virtual reality technologies have already been highlighted by the Wi-Fi Alliance.

First Published:Jun 19, 2023 1:20 PM IST