Apple AR Headset Could Be DELAYED Until Next Year: Reports

Apple's AR headset may be delayed, according to this recent report.

WCCFTech writes that the release of the augmented reality headset has been pushed back at least until early 2023, instead of the original projected window of late 2022. But despite the apparent delay, the Cupertino tech giant is confident that they will sell enough headsets during the first year of their launch.

The information comes from the research firm Haitong International Securities (via 9To5Mac). They didn't reveal the reason for the rumored delay, but did say that Apple is confident enough that they're looking to sell between 1 million-1.5 million units of the AR headset within the first year.

According to Haitong, this is due to how the headset will be featuring an in-house designed chip expected to set it apart from the biggest competitors. This is despite various rumors of the Apple AR headset's high price: as much as $3000 via optimistic estimates. Even the most conservative rumors still peg the AR headset's price at around $1000 at the very least.

As for the headset's chip, insiders say that it will actually have two. One will be a 4nm chip, and the other a 5nm SoC with a combined power enough to match that of the newly released M1 SoC. Aside from that, the Cupertino giant also looks to equip it with over ten sensors, which includes cameras Apple will get from partners like Sony, Sunny Optical, and Will Semi, among others.

'Development Problems'

There's a good chance that this delay is the same one that Bloomberg reported on back in January.

According to their report, Apple risked delaying their new AR headset due to specific development problems involving the combination of both AR and VR technologies. Apparently, the development of the Apple AR headset has allegedly dragged on since 2015 without much growth-even if the company was taking cues from failed products like Google Glass.

Isn't It 'Already Completed?'

Back in February, Tech Times reported on rumors that the AR headset has already "completed production tests." Sources indicated that the headset is now way past the design and development stage, and was scheduled to go into production this year-but no further details were given.

But with the new rumored delay, it looks to be more and more apparent that the headset will not see the light of day at least for 2022. Skeptics are citing the lengthy development process involving the headset's hardware and software-the latter of which only started development in 2017, according to MacRumors.

On the hardware side, the augmented reality headset is indeed packing some serious power. It is said to be lightweight and features two 4K micro-OLED displays for the eyes, Wi-Fi 6E, object tracking, and hand gesture controls to come alongside the dual M1-equivalent chips and multiple sensors.

For now, all that people can do is wait for an official announcement or update from Apple themselves. But they're keeping their lips sealed.

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by RJ Pierce