It could mean a release date delayed until 2023...
What you need to know
- Apple's VR headset has suffered a production setback.
- A new report says it will begin production of Q4 2022, rather than Q2.
- It could signal the device won't be released until 2023.
A new report claims that Apple's VR headset has now been delayed, with production not starting until the end of 2022.
In a new research note seen by iMore Ming-Chi Kuo writes:
Apple's industrial design standards for AR/MR head-mounted display devices are much higher than those of competitors' products, and they want to have complete software, ecology and services when they are launched, so the mass production schedule may be postponed from 2Q22 to the end of 4Q22.
As noted, Kuo puts this delay down to Apple's desire to release the best VR headset ever, with software and hardware in perfect harmony with each other and the rest of Apple's ecosystem. He further notes that creating a virtual or mixed-reality headset is much more complicated than making products like Apple's best iPhones, such as the iPhone 13, because they are worn by the user and have lots of design details to make them comfortable.
The report further says that Apple "will target diversified applications for head-mounted display devices, rather than just gaming applications" further complicating development.
Kuo says mass production will start at the end of Q4 in 2022, and that supply chains will see the revenue benefit in 2023, this could indicate we might not see the headset released until 2023.
Numerous reports indicate Apple is working on a VR headset. Some rumors say the device will come with two 8K displays and cost as much as $3,000. Others have put the price closer to $1,000, with mixed reports of either a standalone device or a headset reliant on an iPhone.
The news comes following Apple's recent 'Unleashed' event where it unveiled the new mini-LED MacBook Pro, AirPods 3 and its stunning new Apple silicon chips.
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