Analyst: Why Apple’s mixed reality headset might not be coming to WWDC after all
Quite a few influencers had rings in their eyes on Wednesday evening after the announcement of Apple’s developer conference WWDC: In the stylized image of the Apple Park stage called Rainbow Stage used by Apple as the invitation motif, they saw much more, namely hints of an eye or the structure of a headset. Now, however, doubts are being raised from the Far East that the presentation of Apple’s first mixed reality headset in June is really imminent.
Renowned analyst Ming-Chi Kuo from Taiwan speaks in a new tweet that Apple has postponed its production plans for the headset to the third quarter. Kuo has good contacts with Apple’s suppliers in China. In the past, his analyzes were often correct, since Apple can hardly seal off the diverse business relationships between suppliers and, moreover, a large number of people are involved in production.
Too expensive, too heavy, too optimistic?
Kuo writes that Apple again postponed assembly by a month or two. So he expects only 200,000 to 300,000 devices to be produced this year – originally half a million headsets had been assumed. Measured against how long the headset has been haunting the rumor mill, that would be a minimal shift. Apple has been accused of concrete mixed or augmented reality plans for years. In the meantime, every cable connection that has appeared is taken as a sign.
As for the reasons, Kuo explains that Apple has concerns about the sluggish economy, but is also unhappy about hardware compromises, including the weight of the headset. The high price of 3,000 to 4,000 US dollars probably creates a stomach ache. Recently it became known that there had been skeptical reactions to an internal presentation of the headset at Apple.
Still a topic at the WWDC?
Kuo concludes that Apple is not optimistic that the “iPhone moment” can be repeated at the launch. It remains to be seen whether a later start of sales means that Apple will not nevertheless present the idea of the headset and the operating system at the WWDC in early June. Next-generation CarPlay was also presented in 2022, although the first cars are not expected to be presented until the end of 2023. And other products, such as the Mac Pro, were also launched in stores months before they became available.
(mki)
