Kuo: Apple’s AR/VR headset coming this year, but expect limited supplies

What you need to know

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes Apple’s mixed reality headset will be released this year.
Shortages are expected to mean that stocks will run dry into 2023.
Apple’s headset is expected to cost thousands of dollars and feature up to three displays.

You might be waiting until some time in 2023 to actually get yours, though.

Apple’s first mixed reality headset will still come in 2022, according to a new research note from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Expectations are that the headset will ship in small quantities towards the end of the year, leaving the device difficult to get hold of for those who are keen to see what Apple has been working on.

In a research note seen by iMore, Kuo notes that while the headset will still hit stores before the end of 2022, it’ll be 2023 before people can readily buy one. The headset itself is expected to be a costly one, so it will be interesting to see how that supply and demand situation pans out.

Both Kuo and Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman have previously pointed to a 2022 launch while hedging, saying that production delays could see things pushed back. It’s currently expected that Apple will announce the headset during its WWDC 2022 event, likely in June, with developers given time to work on apps ahead of its release later in the year.

Apple is no stranger to supply issues of late, of course. Products like iPhone 13, Apple Watch Series 7, and more have all seen supply constraints in recent months while AirPods Max were almost impossible to get hold of for a long time following their December 2020 release.

A recent report saw the possibility of three displays being used in the headset, up from the more traditional two.