FAQ | What’s Going on with Apple’s Mixed Reality Headset? Is It Still Coming This Year? (Here’s What We Know)

Many people have asked me what I know about Apple’s upcoming mixed reality headset. Unfortunately, we have not heard anything new about it in a few weeks, and some suspect it may have been delayed. I know you are very excited about this device and want to know every detail about it, so I will break down everything about this AR/VR headset. Let’s get started!

Apple Mixed Reality Headset Announcement Date

This will be one of the most important announcements of the decade, as I am sure it will set the standard for what AR and VR will be in the next ten years. Apple already did it with the iPhone, and I believe the company will do it again with this headset.

I do not expect this announcement to be made during the Worldwide Developers Conference, and while Apple could somehow pitch the device or realityOS, I would rule out a full release during that event.

My sources indicate that Apple wants to avoid the risk of announcing something that will not ship to customers until late 2022 (at best), due to worldwide production issues Apple and its partners are having.

People familiar with the matter claim that Apple could be preparing to unveil this headset during this year’s October event. However, internally, Apple is already discussing postponing this date.

Supply forecasts are getting worse by the day, and this is something the company will ultimately have to deal with before setting a date. Right now, the date is October, but that could change at any time, so stay tuned.

I believe that the date will change and that it will be moved somewhere in the neighborhood of March 2023, but that’s speculation.

Apple wants to avoid an AirPower-like situation, which would be even worse given the nature of this announcement. Do not worry, though, I will keep you updated on this topic.

Apple Mixed Reality Headset Availability

I want to make it very clear that if you want to purchase Apple’s mixed reality headset, you should buy one the moment it is available because my sources say that the supply will be very limited.

It all depends on the supply chain situation in the coming months, but unless something significant changes for the better, I expect a wait of three to six weeks at best if you don’t purchase one of the first units. 

This is not Apple’s fault, and it’s a very difficult situation for the company. It has to strike a balance between announcing the headset with enough lead time to produce as many units as demand requires but close enough to the manufacturing process to ensure there are no delays.

This task is harder than it looks, and while I don’t particularly appreciate having to wait months for products I want to buy, I understand Apple’s decision on this matter. This is such an important announcement that Apple can not even afford to risk screwing up.

Apple Mixed Reality Headset Pricing

Originally, Apple had targeted a starting price of $1,000, but due to some changes and issues that had to be resolved during the manufacturing process, the company decided to raise the price to around $2,000.

According to my sources, this plan did not take into account ongoing inflation, so I would not be surprised if the price is somewhere around $2,199. However, it should not be more than that.

Apple Mixed Reality Headset Features

Now let us get to the important stuff. I want to be as complete as possible while avoiding boring and technical details, so let me get right to it.

The headset will have a few cameras and LiDAR sensors to enhance the experience as much as possible. This will allow users to interact with real-world objects and control things with hand gestures while wearing the headset.

If developers take advantage of this, it will be extremely useful for video games or other programs. For example, imagine playing drums in your room with a couple of drumsticks, but without drums, and most importantly, without disturbing your neighbors. That’s just one of the many things you can do with this device.

You will not want to miss a single detail, and that’s why Apple plans to include 4K and 8K displays in the headset. Two of them will be micro OLED displays made by Sony, and one of them will be an AMOLED display.

It will have two Apple silicon processors, one of them similar to the M1 Pro.

realityOS

realityOS or rOS will be Apple’s operating system for the mixed reality headset. There have already been hints of this in the App Store.

People familiar with the matter speculate that Apple might announce this during the upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference. That makes perfect sense, and I’ll tell you why:

Apple plans to launch the headset sometime in late 2022 or early 2023, so it needs developers to start working on apps that can take full advantage of the OS and the headset, and there’s no better place than WWDC to encourage developers to do so.

I do not have many details on realityOS yet, but I am sure we will see more leaks as we get closer to the unveiling. I can tell you that Apple plans to allow developers to “simulate” realityOS in their computers to make it easier for them to develop their apps for this new system.

Conclusion

I believe that this device will be a turning point not only for Apple but for the entire technology industry. Every company will start to focus on VR and AR, and smartphones will eventually become obsolete and replaced by devices like Apple Glass.

I am very excited about this release because I truly believe it will be the innovation we have been waiting for. It will come at a price, but I think it is necessary.

Let me know what you think about it in the comments below. I hope you found this article helpful. As always, have a fantastic day!