Apple’s Highly Anticipated AR/VR Headset Is Almost Ready for Mass Production

There’s some encouraging news this week for folks hoping to see the arrival of Apple’s first mixed-reality headset before the end of the year, as Apple’s supply chain is prepping for mass production of the new device.

Although we’ve been hearing reports of Apple’s AR headset since at least 2017, rumors have been heating up over the past few months hinting that a launch of Apple’s newest wearable was just around the corner.

In fact, with reports of it entering prototype testing last fall, many believed that Apple would announce the device at a special event in late 2021, even if it wasn’t expected to hit store shelves until months later.

By October, however, it became apparent that Apple had delayed its plans; the headset was still expected to hopefully arrive sometime in 2022, but we wouldn’t be seeing an announcement until at least WWDC in June.

There were some reports that suggested that the new headset might not even go on sale until early 2023, but new information would seem to indicate that Apple is on schedule for a fall 2022 release after all.

According to DigiTimes, Apple has now completed the second phase of engineering validation and testing (EVT), a process that confirms that prototype units look and work the way Apple expects them to.

If this information is accurate, it puts suppliers on track to enter mass production of the new headset as soon as August.

Technically speaking, there’s still one more EVT phase that needs to be cleared, but this is expected to start very soon. Unless new problems are encountered during that stage, which is unlikely, the product will be green-lit to move into trial production in the next couple of months, followed by the final production run toward the fall.

This does line up with other evidence we’ve seen lately, including code in iOS 15.4 to support the new headset, and even some hints on the App Store identifying a new ‘realityOS’ operating system that would clearly be intended for the headset.

Last month, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman revealed that Apple was running into issues with overheating due to the powerful M1 Pro chip in the headset, but it sounds like Apple has overcome this issue. However, since DigiTimes notes that Apple is also planning to release a second version of the headset next year that will be lighter and more affordably priced, it’s also possible that this could be the one that Gurman was hearing about since that’s likely already in the prototype stage.

The iOS 15.4 and App Store references suggest that Apple is preparing to announce the new headset at this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference. This would be typical of how Apple usually announces new products, with enough lead time to both build hype and get developers on board so that apps are ready to go when the devices finally do land in customers’ hands.

There are also indications that Apple is getting ready to begin marketing the new headset as well. In December, it hired former Oculus PR chief Andrea Schubert away from Meta. Schubert headed up the launch of all Oculus VR Headsets over the past five years, and it’s a safe bet that Apple now wants her to bring that experience to promoting its new AR/VR headset.

In the short term, Apple’s first-generation headset won’t likely be aimed at consumers. We’ve already heard that it’s expected to cost well upwards of $1,000, and DigiTimes’ report seemingly confirms this, adding that it’s going to be “mainly targeting professionals vertical market applications.”

That’s definitely not the end game, though. One thing that seems certain is that Apple plans for its new AR/VR headset to be more than just an iPhone accessory. While it will likely start that way with the early models, the company’s goal is to redefine mobile computing entirely, and sources that it believes that wearable technology like this could replace the iPhone almost entirely in ten years’ time.

[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]