Another traditional WWDC wrapped up this week and, despite all the announcements, one thing was left in the expectation: where is Apple’s mixed reality device? It’s for January, according to Ming-Chi Kuo, a market analyst known for following the launch saga and reporting on the case on Twitter.
(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
“I believe the release date for Apple’s AR/MR headset will be pushed back to 2Q23 (vs. 1Q23 in market consensus) because the Shanghai lockdown has halted development. As expected, there were no clues for the AR/MR headset at WWDC 2022,” he said in the tweet.
Also according to Kuo, the forecast for the launch would be: headset validation tests starting in the third quarter of this year, followed by the announcement event in January 2023.
Two to four weeks after the reveal event, the company would release development kits to programmers, and from the second quarter of next year, pre-sales would begin. Thus, the device would be commercially available before WWDC 2023 – that is, before June 2023.
Apple, Metaverse and Mixed Reality
In recent months, much has been said about the metaverse and how much this technology should evolve and, of course, the Cupertino giant could not be left out. Even for that reason, there was a lot of speculation about the possibility of the company presenting the gadget during this week’s WWDC, but that’s not what happened.
In addition, the company would also have demonstrated the headset to members of the company’s board in May – one of the reasons for the rumors that the gadget would be presented get even bigger.
Apple mixed reality device concept image – Image: Ian Zelbo
But it is worth remembering that reports leaked by Kuo previously already pointed to problems that the company had in the development of the new product and that, consequently, delayed the launch.
Despite the uproar, it is very likely that the device is also not affordable for most users, since the product itself already enters a more expensive category of gadgets. It is estimated that, when launched, the headset will reach US$ 3 thousand.
Via: Gizmochina
