A prominent supply chain analyst predicts Apple’s headset will launch in mid 2023.
Ming-Chi Kuo is a TF International Securities analyst mostly known for predicting Apple products & moves over a year in advance using his supply chain sources.
“I believe Apple’s AR/MR headset shipping date will postpone to 2Q23 (vs. 1Q23 of market consensus) because Shanghai lockdown interrupts the development” Kuo Tweeted this week.
(2/2)
1. EVT starting from 3Q22.
2. Media event on Jan 2023.
3. Delivery of development toolkit within 2-4 weeks after the event.
4. Starting pre-order in 2Q23.
5. Hitting store shelves before WWDC 2023.— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) June 7, 2022
Kuo predicts Apple will host a media event in January, deliver development kits 2-4 weeks later, and launch preorders in the second quarter of 2023 for a release before WWDC 2023. WWDC is Apple’s yearly software conference, almost always held in June.
Last year Kuo, Bloomberg, and The Information released reports claiming Apple is working on a premium headset for VR and AR with high resolution color passthrough. Kuo claimed this headset will weigh less than Meta’s Quest 2, feature dual 4K OLED microdisplays, and use a new chip with “similar computing power as the M1 for Mac”.
Over the weekend Bloomberg reported Apple is working on realityOS (rOS) versions of its core apps as well as the ability to view a Mac’s display and AR/VR developer tools. References to realityOS were found in App Store upload logs and Apple code earlier this year, and an Apple linked shell company trademarked RealityOS in May. At Apple’s WWDC conference a number of features tangentially related to AR were announced, but the company may be waiting for the headset reveal to show its full AR/VR strategy.
Earlier this year Bloomberg reported Apple’s headset was delayed to 2023 due to “challenges related to overheating, cameras and software”. The New York Times also now reports the headset is delayed to 2023, with its sources saying this is due to “continuing challenges with its battery power”. Both Gurman and The Information report the product is set to be priced north of $2000.
