For a while now, Apple has been developing a headset that combines augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). By the second quarter of 2023, mass shipments of the device were anticipated. The second half of 2023 is now the most likely release date for Apple’s AR/VR headset, according to supply chain data expert Ming-Chi Kuo. The analyst posted a number of times on the microblogging website Twitter with this information.
He claims that the Apple AR/VR headset’s shipment timetable has been delayed and that the device is having some software-related problems. According to a Bloomberg article published last week, Apple has changed the operating system for the AR/VR headset from realityOS to xrOS. Extended reality is indicated here by the letter “xr.” According to the article, the adjustment was done recently on an internal level. According to Kuo, xrOS modifications and glitches have forced Apple to postpone the widespread distribution of its headgear until the second half of 2023.
“My latest survey indicates that the mass shipment schedule of Apple’s MR headset may delay to 2H23 because of software-related issues (vs. the previous estimate of 2Q23)”, Kuo says in one of his tweets.
It is crucial to remember that a delay in mass shipments does not necessarily indicate a delay in the device’s release. It’s possible that Apple will introduce the AR/VR headset months before it becomes widely accessible. However, Kuo adds that it might be “detrimental to promotion and sales.”
“It still needs to be determined whether the media event schedule (previously estimated in January 2023) will also delay, but usually, if the time frame between the media event and end product mass shipment is too long, it’s detrimental to promotion and sales.”
Additionally, according to Kuo’s posts, the Cupertino-based corporation may only release 5,000 units of its AR/VR headgear in 2023. The market consensus was for 800,000 to 1.2 million units, so it is less than that. According to reports, Apple’s AR/VR headset will be the next significant growth engine for the optical sector. The optical industry’s slow season is when the market anticipates it to shine.
