Rumors about Apple’s mixed reality headset have been gaining traction in recent months, but the company’s plans on when this device will be announced remain unclear. Despite recent references to Apple’s new “realityOS” platform, the official announcement of the headset still seems a long way off – at least that’s what analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says.

According to Kuo on Twitter, it should take longer before Apple’s AR/VR headset goes into mass production. That said, the analyst thinks it’s unlikely that Apple will announce the device next week at WWDC 2022.

One of the reasons Kuo doesn’t believe Apple will show a preview of its new Apple mixed reality headset in June is that it would give competitors enough time to copy the product’s features. The analyst maintains his earlier prediction about the headset hitting stores in early 2023 instead of 2022.

This is not the first time that an analyst has stated that Apple’s AR/VR headset will be released in 2023. Analyst Jeff Pu of Haitong International Securities also believes that the product will be delayed until the first quarter of 2023. Apple could announce the product in late 2022 similar to what it did in the past with the first Apple Watch.

Of course, iOS 16 is expected to introduce new AR/VR technologies will be the basis for Apple’s new mixed reality headset.

realityOS

As reported earlier this week, the trademark “realityOS” has been registered in multiple countries by a company associated with Apple. Back in February, a few developers found references to a platform named “RealityOS” in App Store logs.

(1/2)It still takes some time before Apple AR/MR headset enters mass production, so I don’t think Apple will release AR/MR headset and rumored realityOS at WWDC this year. Apple’s competitors worldwide can’t wait to see the hardware spec and OS design for Apple’s AR/MR headset.

— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) May 31, 2022

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman revealed that Apple has recently demoed its upcoming AR/VR headset to its board of directors – which is a sign that the product is close to being announced. If it’s not coming at WWDC, one possibility is that Apple will announce the new device alongside the new iPhones in September.

Do you expect to see Apple’s new mixed reality headset at WWDC next week? Let us know in the comments below.

More about Apple’s AR/VR headset

  • Apple’s mixed reality headset challenges from Jony Ive to battery life, heat, cost, and lack of discipline
  • Report: Apple Headset not an ‘all-day device,’ creating a metaverse ‘off limits’