A mixed reality Apple headset should be unveiled this June, not in April as previously rumored, ahead of a planned launch by the end of 2023.
- What’s happening? In a new report, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has claimed that Apple’s mixed-reality headset will debut at WWDC23 in June and not this spring.
- Why care? Be skeptical. He also said before that an Apple headset would be unveiled at last year’s WWDC, then in January 2023 and then this spring.
- What to do? Take the report with a grain of salt—we’ve been burned before.
An Apple headset unveiling postponed until June
Supposedly, Apple will unveil its mixed-reality accessory said to combine virtual and augmented reality at this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference, ahead of a planned release that should reportedly happen by the end of 2023.
Apple’s earlier plan was to unveil the product in early spring at a launch event aimed at consumers. It could then provide more extensive details and development tools to third-party software developers at its annual June expo, known as WWDC. Now the company is aiming to debut all aspects of the device at that conference. The product would then go on sale later in the year.
Gurman previously said Apple would unveil its headset “around April.”
The report claims Apple’s decided to push back the official unveiling of the headset “because of hardware and software issues that need to be figured out,” with its former hardware boss Dan Riccio becoming “increasingly involved” in the project.
Introducing the $3000 Reality Pro
Dubbed Reality Pro, the long-rumored product is believed to be primarily aimed at developers and have a heft price tag of around $3,000. A launch at WWDC would make more sense than a spring unveiling because WWDC is a developer-focused event. An announcement at WWDC would give Apple the perfect opportunity to showcase its third-party tools for developers for building headset apps.
The idea is that developers would have a few months between the WWDC announcement and the end-of-year launch to create apps for the accessory.
An Apple headset should feature a bunch of internal and external cameras for advanced eye and hand tracking, two micro-OLED 8K screens, a Digital Crown for seamless switching between virtual and augmented reality and so on.
It will reportedly be powered by a new software platform, dubbed xrOS, which features a 3D interface and has an app store of its own. The elusive device should use an external battery pack to reduce the weight, and you’d apparently slip it in your pocket. A more affordable product is thought to arrive at a later stage.
Listen, an Apple headset will be announced when it’s ready
So clearly, no one knows when an Apple headset will be unveiled, even though Bloomberg and The Information have been banging this drum for quite a while now.
We were led to believe that Apple would officially unveil a headset at 2022’s WWDC. But then, the launch was conveniently pushed back to late-2022, then to January 2023, then this spring, and now the upcoming WWDC in June.
It sounds like reporters are making informed guesses, or their sources could be feeding them the wrong information. It’s like hearing for years that Apple would have its own vehicle ready by 2022, then 2023, then 2025, then 2027—and even 2030.
Here’s another prediction for you
So what happens if an Apple headset isn’t unveiled at WWDC? Nothing, really. You’ll be reading fresh new reports that Apple has pushed back the launch once again.
You’ll be told to expect a fall announcement, not in September because that’s for new iPhones, but definitely in October. And if that doesn’t pan out, there’s still time for Apple to make an announcement later in 202 or maybe in January 2024.
So it will be the same story all over againuntil Apple officially announces the product. As Gurman states in his report, “the timing could always change again.”