Apple’s Mixed Reality Headset, Reportedly Facing Design Challenges, Could Be Delayed Until 2023

At the end of the line : Apple’s 2022 product lineup might not be as strong as initially expected. Sources familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that Apple originally planned to unveil its mixed reality headset in 2021 and ship it this year after working on the project since 2015. That didn’t work out though, so Apple reportedly banded together and decided to announce the helmet at this year’s WWDC in June. Development issues could force Apple to push the headset even further.

Those familiar with the company’s plans say Apple is facing challenges with the device’s camera and software. Overheated is another concern, and one of the laptop’s two main processing chips is thought to be to blame.

The chips needed to power the headset would be high-end components like those typically found in laptops. As you can imagine, squeezing them into something designed to be worn on the head could present some technical challenges.

Previous prototypes would have circumvented thermal issues by using an external processing device that wirelessly transmitted data to the headset, but sources say former Apple design chief Jony Ive didn’t like the extra hardware. and rejected the idea.

Apple’s first model is expected to be an expensive niche product with a price tag potentially north of $2,000. The idea is to use it to help build a solid ecosystem of applications – hence the desire to promote it at WWDC – before targeting a wider audience with future products, a priori more affordable.