Don't Expect to See Apple's AR/VR Headset at WWDC This Year, Analyst Says
Rumors suggest a 2023 release is more likely.
WWDC is just around the corner.
Apple won't launch its long-rumored AR/VR headset at the company's annual WWDC event next week, reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted in a tweet on Tuesday.
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— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) May 31, 2022
It still takes some time before Apple AR/MR headset enters mass production, so I don't think Apple will release AR/MR headset and rumored realityOS at WWDC this year. Apple's competitors worldwide can't wait to see the hardware spec and OS design for Apple's AR/MR headset.
Rumors and reports have previously floated a 2022 headset launch, and Apple's board reportedly saw a demonstration of the product earlier in May. Though Apple has in the past shown upcoming hardware at its Worldwide Developers Conference, Kuo wrote, it will still be a while before the headset is mass-produced, so he doubts it will make an appearance at the conference, which starts Monday.
"I'm sure that if Apple announces AR/MR headset and its OS at WWDC, competitors will immediately kick off copycat projects and happily copy Apple's excellent ideas, and hit the store shelves before Apple launches in 2023," Kuo added.
AR refers to augmented reality, in which images are superimposed on a real-world setting, as opposed to VR, or virtual reality, a fully immersive computer-generated environment. MR is mixed reality, which blends real and virtual worlds.
Apple didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Previous speculation has said the headset will run on Apple's M1 chip and resemble a higher-end Meta Quest.
WWDC 2022 runs Monday through Friday, and it'll be available to watch live. Apple is expected to reveal iOS 16 at the conference. Here are the new iPhone features CNET editors hope to see there.