Apple will “probably” announce its long-rumored mixed reality headset as early as January 2023, Apple analyst Ming Chi Kuo’ has repeated.
In a detailed post on Medium, Kuo explained that Apple’s headset will be a “game-changer” for the augmented-reality and virtual-reality market. Describing some of the headset’s functionality, Kuo said that while Apple has repeatedly touted its focus on AR, the headset will “provide an excellent immersive experience” and a “video view” mode† The headset is expected to drive demand for immersive gaming and multimedia entertainment experiences.
Kuo said the device is “the most complicated product Apple has ever designed,” with Apple using components from many of its existing suppliers. Kuo also believes that Apple will be a market leader in headsets, have “significant competitive advantages” and not have to join the Metaverse Standards Forum† Specifically, Kuo thinks rivals will race to imitate Apple’s headset once it launches, “steering the headset hardware industry into the next stage of rapid growth.”
While it was widely believed that Apple’s headset slated for launch this yeara report from Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman cast doubt on the chances of the device hitting the market this year due to development issues. According to DigiTimesApple in February 2022 completed major production tests on the headset and reportedly plans to begin mass production around August or September. Kuo’s prediction An announcement in January 2023 therefore seems broadly in line with other rumors about when the device might appear.
Regardless of the exact timing, Apple’s headset project is believed to be “impending launch“, with the device reflecting the development timeline of the Apple Watch in the pre-launch period. Apple’s work on the headset’s operating system, “realityOS”, is rumors since 2017but the existence of the operating system has been confirmed when references to it were found in App Store upload logs and Apple open source code.
Rumor has it that the headset is a lightweight designtwo 4K micro OLED screens† 15 optical modules† two main processors† Wi-Fi 6E connectivity† follow eye† object tracking and hand gesture controls† and more† The estimated price of the device is still unclear, but some reports indicate that it could cost about $3,000†
Update: This article was edited to reflect an edit made to Kuo’s Medium article. It previously said Apple’s headset would “likely be released in January 2023”, but this has since been revised to “likely to be announced”.