Apple has once again delayed the mass production of its first virtual reality headset. This was stated by authoritative analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, in whose opinion the announcement of a new Apple device at the upcoming WWDC 2023 developer conference is in doubt.
This year, WWDC will be held from June 5 to 9, and it was the global developer conference that was most recently called the place where Apple will first show the public its mixed reality headset, which the company has been working on in recent years. But Ming-Chi Kuo questions the imminent debut of the new Apple gadget.
The thing is that the company is not very optimistic about whether the headset will be able to create the same effect that the premiere of the very first iPhone once produced. As a result, Apple management decided to once again postpone the launch of mass production of the accessory. According to the new plan, the headset will not enter production until the middle or end of the third quarter. And as a result, Apple will be able to ship only 200-300 thousand headsets this year against the previously predicted 500 thousand copies.
Apple is concerned about the economic downturn, which is affecting consumer activity, as well as the compromises in terms of technical characteristics that the company had to make to bring the device to the market. The high price of the headset, its heavy weight and the readiness of the ecosystem and software do not inspire optimism.
According to Kuo, Apple’s first mixed reality headset will cost between $3,000 and $4,000 or more. The device will be aimed primarily at developers and technical enthusiasts.
