Ivan Sutherland
Apple could delay the launch of its first mixed reality headset, according to Bloomberg.
Multiple sources previously claimed the device was likely to launch in 2022, and Apple appeared set to show off its new mixed reality platform to developers at the company’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). in June.
But according to “people familiar with the situation” with whom Bloomberg reporters Mark Gurman, Takashi Mochizuki and Debby Wu spoke, the announcement of the new headphones could drop “in late 2022 or later, with the product reaching the shelves by 2023″. ”
The delays are said to be due to “overheating, cameras and software” issues. Similar challenges would also have delayed the introduction of the headset from an original 2021 target.
Note that this product is not the long-talked-about consumer AR glasses, which are still planned for several years. Rather, it’s a mixed reality headset (capable of both virtual and augmented reality) that should cost at least $2,000.
Previous reports claimed the device would have 4K or 8K displays, high-quality external cameras, plenty of sensors, and multiple chips, at least one of which could be comparable to the M1, if not the M1 Pro, in recent Mac computers. While the headset may be popular with some consumers, it’s likely to serve as a development platform to lay the groundwork for future, more affordable consumer headsets.
The name of the product is not yet known to the public (if it has even been decided), but Bloomberg’s Gurman speculate that it may be called Apple Vision or Apple Reality.
Rumors of tracking AR glasses hold more promise as a new big computing platform to track the smartphone than niche and expensive VR glasses. But several remaining technological and optical hurdles to the production of this future product may take years to resolve, if resolved.
Apple won’t be the first company to introduce a VR, AR or mixed reality headset, of course. They’ve been around in various guises for decades, but Meta-owned Oculus achieved what could be described as VR’s first mainstream success, alongside Microsoft’s Windows Mixed Reality platform and headsets focused on on hardcore gamers using the SteamVR platform, like the HTC Vive.
Because the technology is more nascent, AR glasses have been slower to hit the market, but there have been companies like Snap. However, these devices have so far had major limitations, such as inconvenient fields of view or battery life measured in minutes rather than hours.
