Apple’s AR headset could retail at a premium price. (Image Credit: De Rosa)
Apple’s AR/MR headset may face a delay in its unveiling, and may not be unveiled at the upcoming WWDC 2023, as it was speculated earlier.
Apple’s highly anticipated AR/MR headset may face a delay in its unveiling, and may not be unveiled at the upcoming WWDC 2023 event scheduled for June as per analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
Kuo revealed that the tech giant “isn’t very optimistic about the AR/MR headset announcement” and is striving to recreate the same level of impact as the launch of the iPhone. Due to this, the announcement may be postponed by 1-2 months to mid-to-late Q3 2023.
Kuo also highlighted that the expected yield of the product may be lower than anticipated “due to the delay in mass production for assembly.” Kuo estimates that expected shipments for this year will be between 2,00,000 to 3,00,000 units, which is significantly lower than the “market consensus of 5,00,000 units or more.”
Additionally, per Kuo, the speculated delay in the announcement of Apple’s AR/MR headset also stems from a number of other factors, which includes the current economic crisis—making it difficult to generate demand for expensive products. And, compromises made to hardware specifications to accommodate mass production requirements, such as weight reduction, the ecosystem’s and applications’ readiness, and a high expected selling price of USD $3,000–4,000 or even more.
People are also skeptical about the release, with many questioning if the AR/MR headset could actually make an impact. “The big question is whether the it can be a prosumer device – prescription glasses, TV, zoom terminal, HoloLens etc more than a plaything like Oculus! hope it isn’t like the early Apple Watch which was mostly useless other as a limited battery/ wireless pretty watch!,” a Twitter user said.
Another Twitter user said, ” Delayed or not, no one is buying a VR headset for $4k no one.”
It remains to be seen if Apple actually launches the much-hyped headset at WWDC 2023, and how it is received by the market.
Apple’s annual WWDC 2023 event is scheduled to take place from June 5 to June 9. The company has announced that the event will be held online and will feature a unique experience for students and developers on the opening day of the conference at Apple Park.
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