Apple’s highly anticipated augmented reality headset may not be released until late 2023 (via 9to5mac).
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo thinks Apple will delay “mass shipments” of its headset until “2H23” (the second half of 2023) to iron out software wrinkles in the company’s rumored “xrOS” platform.
Kuo previously tipped Apple to launch the headset in the second quarter of 2023 and ship up to 1.2 million headsets by the end of the year. But after factoring in the delay, Apple could now struggle to ship 500,000 units.
The issue will likely affect the big reveal at the company’s Apple Park HQ, which Kuo originally tipped for January 2023. Apparently this is because Apple doesn’t want a long delay between the unveiling and the device becoming available in the US. stores.
(4/8) It is already a market consensus that the AR/VR headset device will be the next critical growth driver for the optical industry. The market previously expected Apple’s MR headset, which will start mass shipments in 2Q23, to be in the spotlight in the optical industry’s off-season.December 4, 2022
Apple’s rumored headset – possibly called “AR Glass” – would run the xrOS platform, rather than the previously reported “realityOS” (“xr” stands for “extended reality,” according to Bloombergby Mark Gurman).
The headset is said to feature micro-OLED displays and virtual versions of Apple’s biggest apps, including Messages, FaceTime and Maps. It could even use iris scanning for age verification and in-app purchases.
However, not everyone agrees with Kuo’s timeline. Earlier this year, Haitong Intl Tech Research analyst Jeff Pu suggested the long-rumored headset would be ready in prototype form by the end of 2023, but wouldn’t go on sale until 2024.
So, is Apple preparing to fight Meta for control of the metaverse? Apple CEO Tim Cook has not immediately commented on the headset rumours, but has said he “couldn’t be more excited” about AR and that fans should “stay tuned and… see what we have to offer”.
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