Apple may not be quite ready to jump into a new reality. A report claims that the Apple VR/AR headset slated for release this year could be pushed back to 2023.
It’s the word of Bloomberg, citing “people familiar with the situation”. According to the report, Apple may be dropping plans to show off the rumored headset at the June Worldwide Developers Conference. Instead, work should continue in the background, with a view to announcing the product later in the year or possibly pushing the launch to next year.
The Apple VR/AR headset is a highly anticipated product as it would mark Apple’s entry into a whole new product category, much like the iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch launches before it. The headset would use mixed reality – a combination of augmented and virtual realities – and would likely be a standalone device. It is also expected to be quite an expensive niche product, at least for its initial release.
We last heard that the Apple VR/AR headset was in the final prototype stages as it’s headed for a 2022 launch. There’s no word on Apple’s reasoning behind the delay. launch of its headphones, and Apple has not yet provided a comment. (Not a surprise, since Apple hasn’t even acknowledged the existence of a headset project.)
However, the Bloomberg report details the issues Apple encountered while developing the headset, such as thermal issues created by using laptop chips such as Apple’s M1 silicon and developing on-board cameras. Bloomberg also notes that some Apple engineers left the project to go work for Meta, the company formerly known as Facebook, which is working on its Project Cambria mixed reality headset, which could also be released this year.
Apple plans to focus its WWDC 2023 on building virtual and augmented reality apps for the device, which will have an App Store. More than 2,000 Apple employees now work on its VR and AR hardware as part of a unit called the Technology Development Group.January 14, 2022
With Apple’s headset possibly not appearing until 2023, this year’s Apple Developer Conference is expected to focus on virtual reality as Apple pushes app makers to create AR and VR offerings. However, don’t expect mixed reality to be absent from this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference. Apparently, iOS 16 is stepping up its support for these apps, building on efforts like the ARKit developer tools that appeared in previous versions. Bloomberg adds that support for Apple’s future headphones may also come in iOS 16.
The VR/AR headset isn’t Apple’s only planned foray into mixed reality. The company is also rumored to have a pair of augmented reality-focused Apple Glasses, though these aren’t expected until 2023 at the earliest.
Obviously, we were hoping to see a new Apple product sooner rather than later. But if we’ve learned one thing from Apple product launches, new devices don’t see the light of day until Apple is ready to roll them out.
