Apple’s much-anticipated mixed reality headset could be unveiled just ahead of the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC).
Apple’s headset, which is expected to be called “Reality Pro,” will likely offer virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) capabilities, allowing wearers to immerse themselves in a virtual world or overlay digital data on real-time images from the real world .
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman — a reporter with a decent track record when it comes to Apple predictions — said Sunday that the tech giant has been following a series of postponements with the device since Apple decided to start development about five years ago , currently “aiming to introduce it this spring ahead of the annual Worldwide Developers Conference in June.”
This aligns with comments late last week from normally reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, whose contacts in Apple’s supply chain have led him to believe the device will go on sale either late in Q2 or possibly sometime in Q3 . i.e. July to September.
In other words, the spring reveal would give Apple enough time to launch a massive marketing campaign ahead of a sales spree a few months later.
And Kuo shares Gurman’s belief that Apple will hold a mixed reality headset reveal event in the spring, possibly during or just before the WWDC event.
Gurman’s report also claims that Apple has already turned the headset over to a “small number of high-profile software developers” for testing so they can start building third-party apps for the device. His report adds that the headset’s operating system is called “Borealis” within the company but is marketed as “xrOS”.
More recently, Apple was expected to unveil the headset at an event this month before it begins shipping between April and June. But due to what Kuo said were “issues with mechanical component drop testing and the availability of software development tools,” Apple engineers needed more time to address the challenges, and the company now appears to be aiming for the spring reveal, before the device is shipped several months later.
Whatever happens, it really looks like 2023 will be the year that Apple launches its long-awaited mixed reality headset. Gurman adds that the company “is banking on the product as a hot launch for this year.” We can’t wait to see it.
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