Apple’s Reality Pro headset might not debut when we’d been told to expect it.
LetsGoDigital
Apple’s rumored entry into the AR/VR space has been thrown into doubt, with the expected WWDC23 unveiling now possibly not happening. The so-called Reality Pro headset is said to be causing concern internally, possibly causing the launch to be delayed.
WWDC23 has been confirmed for a 5 June kick-off, with reports suggesting that Apple would out the headset during the opening keynote. But a report by supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggests that Apple is having second thoughts, with mass production already delayed.
Reality Pro, coming soon(ish)
Until this latest report, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman had pointed to a WWDC announcement for the headset that has been in the news for months. But Kuo’s report confuses matters, with a tweet saying that “Apple isn’t very optimistic about the AR/MR headset announcement recreating the astounding ‘iPhone moment’.” As a result, the analyst says that Apple has pushed mass production back “another 1-2 months to mid-to-late 3Q23.”
That might suggest that Apple isn’t going to announce the headset in June after all. However, it was never originally clear when Apple would make the headset available to buy even if the WWDC announcement went ahead. It’s still possible that Apple could announce the headset on 5 June, but not put it on sale until much later in the year.
Such an approach would mimic that of the Apple Watch for example, while a delay between announcement and release would give developers time to build apps. Those apps could then ship in time for the first headsets arriving on the doorsteps of the all-important early adopters.
The headset itself is already proving a hard sell for Apple. however. The expected $3,000 price could put some off, while the two-hour battery life and reported hefty weight could also prove problematic.
