Apple’s AR/VR headset might miss its rumoured early 2023 launch

Anyone hoping to be able to buy their first Apple AR/VR headset in early 2023 might have to wait a few months due to “software-related issues”.

The previous rumour had Apple ready to announce its AR/VR headset in the first half of 2023, but well-connected industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes that Apple has had to push things back a little while, all thanks to issues related to the software that the product will run.

Kuo now believes that the unnamed AR/VR headset will be ready for mass production in the second half of 2023, although it isn’t yet clear whether that will also mean that Apple will also delay the actual announcement of the product until later in the year also.

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The mass shipment schedule of components is still likely 1H23/2Q23, but due to postponed mass shipment schedule of the end product, Apple MR headset shipment forecast in 2023 will likely be less than 500k units, which is lower than the market consensus of 800k-1,200k units.

— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) December 4, 2022

It’s possible that Apple could choose to announce the product at its WWDC event, likely in June 2023. That could theoretically give developers time to work on building apps for the new platform ahead of its final release to the public later that same year.

Kuo did also note that Apple could choose to announce the headset in early 2023 as originally planned, but a longer period of time between announcement and shipping could potentially impact sales, at least in the short term.

Another report recently claimed that has also changed the name of the operating system that will power the new device. Previously expected to be called realityOS, it’s now thought that the system is called xrOS instead. The name change is thought to better drive home the “extended reality” capabilities of the device.