Apple’s first mixed-reality headset is a wearable device that should offer users virtual (VR) and augmented reality (AR) experiences. The AR/VR headset has appeared in an increasing number of rumors in the past few years, signaling a 2023 launch for the mixed reality gadget. However, Apple won’t hold an announcement event this month, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said in a new report.
Instead, Apple will unveil the mixed reality headset in the spring during a launch event separate from WWDC 2023. Sales should start in the second half of the year, although there’s no precise release date.
Gurman detailed Apple’s purported plans for the wearable handset in his Power On newsletter. Apparently, Apple is still dealing with development delays, and it’s been plundering resources from other departments.
The AR/VR wearable is Apple’s main priority for the year, and other projects might suffer as a result.
Gurman says Apple has already shared the device with a small number of high-profile developers for testing and app development.
Apple’s current plan is to unveil the headset as the Reality Pro this spring. The device would run a new operating system called xrOS. The company will then get developers up to speed on the software features this June. The mixed reality headset would ship this fall, although there’s no clear release date or release window.
Recently, well-known Apple insider Ming-Chi Kuo said that Apple has been dealing with hardware and software development delays. As a result, the headset would hit stores late in the second quarter or the third quarter of the year.
Gurman also notes that Apple has “many kinks to work out with the device,” including hardware, software, and services. Apple also has to figure out how to market and sell the AR/VR headset.
The device is Apple’s top priority for the year, given that it’s a brand-new product, one that Apple has never manufactured before. That’s why Apple has been diverting resources from other projects to the mixed reality headset. As a result, other projects might suffer, with Gurman noting that Apple might have fewer breakthroughs to show off this year.
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Chris Smith