Kuo: Apple Mixed-Reality Headset May Not Appear at WWDC as Mass Production Pushed Back Yet Again

[MacRumors]

Apple has again pushed back mass production of its mixed-reality headset and the device may not appear at this year's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today said.

Apple headset concept by David Lewis and Marcus Kane​

In a tweet, Kuo explained that Apple "isn't very optimistic" about whether the headset will be able to create an "iPhone moment." As a result, the company has chosen to delay the device's mass production schedule to the middle to the end of the third quarter of 2023. Kuo believes that the delay adds uncertainty around "whether the new device will appear at WWDC 2023, as the market widely expects."

The delay also means that shipment forecasts of the headset for 2023 will be even lower than previously thought, reducing to just 200,000 to 300,000 units. Previously, around half a million units were expected to ship this year.

Apple's cause for concern with the device is allegedly in anticipation of poor market feedback, catalysed by the economic downturn, hardware specification compromises, the weight of the device, the readiness of the headset's ecosystem and applications, and its high selling price. Kuo believes that the headset will be priced at $3,000 to $4,000, or even higher.

Kuo's comments mirror a recent report from The New York Times, which claimed that Apple employees have serious concerns about the headset's prospects, calling it "a solution in search of a problem."

Apple yesterday announced that WWDC 2023 will be held between June 5 and June 9. Until now, all indications have suggested that this would be when Apple introduces the headset.

Article Link: Kuo: Apple Mixed-Reality Headset May Not Appear at WWDC as Mass Production Pushed Back Yet Again

 

[Jack Delgado]

Pushed back again you say? Ah, I remember the first time this was delayed. Why, it was 30 and one years ago...

 

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

… Is this just vapourware?

 

[Dwalls90]

Hopefully they listened the internal concerns regarding rushing the launch.

 

[MacWiz_007]

Pushed back again huh? Classic Tim Apple move here. This thing is going to flop anyway, so it might as well just go the way of the AirPower at this point. What a joke! At least people are finally waking up, slowly but surely, to what Apple has become.

 

[krspkbl]

Oh yeah cause 1-2 months is going to change everything...

This thing is looking to be a huge failure. They should just scrap it or give it another year or two.

 

[MayaUser]

It will be announce at WWDC...no matter what KUO says....otherwise the next time will be 2024
I dont see it as a brand new category to be announced at iphone event if it will work independently from the iphone

 

[MacWiz_007]

🤣

 

[krspkbl]

It will be announce at WWDC...no matter what KUO says....otherwise the next time will be 2024
I dont see it as a brand new category to be announced at iphone event if it will work independently from the iphone

Maybe keeping it for 2024 is for the best. I don't see what 1-2 months is going to do to change anything.

 

[pauloregan]

It's going to be a long presentation detailing a yellow already released iphone.

 

[femike]

I have no doubt that it will be mentioned in this years WWDC at the very least. I'll be very surprised if they reveal the product physically because they will have to demonstrate it, and I don't see that happening in WWDC.

 

[contacos]

It's going to be a long presentation detailing a yellow already released iphone.

it is not a hardware event so that makes no sense.

My take: if they do not even announce it, even with a release "Later this year" then it is simply not going to be released this year. Why would they miss WWDC to give developers a chance to have a look at the SDK etc.. A product is only as good as the things it is being supported by (3rd party apps)

 

[Leon Ze Professional]

This headset is going down like a led balloon.

 

[antnythr]

This rumour doesn’t make any sense. If the concern has been about the product itself not being ready and it was at the point of being brought out to the world and entering mass production, delaying by a couple months doesn’t make any sense. You’re not making any major changes this late in development “in a few months”.

 

[Koni17]

This is just silly, there is no way a company like Apple is deciding between launching/not launching a product just under 1.5 months before an event. Either the rumour was correct that they are going to launch it at WWDC, or it was a false rumour to begin with, and they had planned on launching it later on.

If they are going to launch it in 2023, I can see them choosing WWDC to do it, especially since they want developers working on apps before the official consumer launch happens. Similar to the M1 launch and how they provided the mac mini Developer Transition Kits, I could see them sending out developer units initially.

 

[DFZD]

I can’t express the disappointment I would have had, if I cared about a 5 pound eyewear.. for an ecosystem not known for gaming at all.

 

[unQuestionable]

I bet $100 that it’s a developer kit and OS that comes at WWDC, and commercial model will be a year later.

 

[batmccoy]

May or may not be true.

 

[Juuro]

… Is this just vapourware?

It would be if it was already announced and would never actually show up. Air Power was vapourware.

I have no doubt that it will be mentioned in this years WWDC at the very least. I'll be very surprised if they reveal the product physically because they will have to demonstrate it, and I don't see that happening in WWDC.

They have to demonstrate something either way. They have to explain the usecase for that kind of hardware. Because at the moment there is not really one (in the Apple world). At least not one that would make sense to spend up to $4000 on.

it is not a hardware event so that makes no sense.

Erm ... it was a joke.

 

[arkitect]

This is getting desperate.

You couldn't make this stuff up. 🤣

Oh, hang on…

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

What a big L for Apple. 😭

 

[Gengar]

I wonder if you can pair it with AirPods Max and then you could truly be in your own little world 😂

 

[lazyrighteye]

I bet $100 that it’s a developer kit and OS that comes at WWDC, and commercial model will be a year later.

They demo rOS capabilities, not the device, with physical device matriculating next year? I could see that.

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

What a big L for Apple.

I think it's a problem for the many cackling creeps that claim to know what Apple is about to do, or not do. It's not a problem for Apple until it ships and cracks at the corners show up.

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

There is no Apple Mixed Reality Headset. It was all a ruse to manipulate MacRumors, just like there's no Apple Silicon Mac Pro