According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, mass sales of Apple’s long-rumored AR/VR headset may be postponed until the second half of 2023. According to Kuo, “software-related concerns” are the cause of the likely delay.
Kuo predicted that bulk shipments of the headset’s parts will still likely start in the first half or second quarter of next year in a thread on Twitter that the analyst published on Sunday. He forecasts that the shipments of Apple’s headset would be less than 500,000 units, which is lower than the market consensus of 800,000 to 1.2 million units, due to the delayed shipment timetable of the finished product.
According to an earlier prediction by Kuo, Apple intended to unveil its headset in January and begin distributing it in the second quarter of 2023. Kuo is now dubious, though, if the January event will still go forward as a result of the postponement. If not, it’s highly likely that the gadget will debut in June at Apple’s yearly Worldwide Developers Conference.
Regarding its headset, Apple has not yet made any official announcements. According to a Bloomberg story, the Cupertino company will use the term “xrOS” for the operating system of the device. Extended reality, sometimes known as “XR,” is a catch-all name for immersive technologies such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR).
Previous speculations claimed that Apple’s mixed-reality headset would have FaceTime as one of its standout features. According to reports, Apple is also creating updated headset versions of popular apps like Messages and Maps.
A few days ago, Kuo also forecasted that Apple will fall short of its aim for the shipment of the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max by 15 to 20 million units.
Source: Ming-Chi Kuo
