While most analysts and observers believed that Apple’s mixed reality headset would be released in late 2022, Haitong International Securities analyst Jeff Pu says that Apple’s AR/VR headset may be delayed until 2023.
In a report seen by 9to5Mac, Pu mentions that Apple’s new headset may face a slight delay for the first quarter of 2023. The analyst also believes that Apple will sell something between 1 million and 1.5 million units of its new headset in its first year.
The report also mentions that the in-house designed chip will be one of the main differentiators of Apple’s mixed reality headset against its competitors. The device is expected to have more than 10 sensors (including cameras) combined, which should benefit Sony, Will Semi, Sunny Optical, and other parts suppliers.
One possibility is that Apple will unveil the device later this year with sales starting in early 2023, similar to what the company has done in the past with products like the Apple Watch and HomePod.
MacDailyNews Take: Apple’s initial mixed-reality (VR and AR) headset is designed to be a “pricey,” high-end niche precursor to more ambitious augmented reality (AR) smartglasses that will take longer to develop, Bloomberg News reported in January 2021. The Information in February 2021 reported more details and specs, including ultra-high-resolution 8K displays and confirming a price point around $3,000 making the product an enterprise-focused offering, not for the consumer market.
The big, “pricey” VR headset will, in part, exist as a means for developers to build the next killer AR apps for true, light, powerful Apple smartglasses. – MacDailyNews, February 4, 2021
Of course, that won’t preclude the Apple naysayers from screaming that the company is crazy and out-of-touch as soon as the device and its pricing are released.
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Delayed? I must’ve missed the date they were announced to come out!