Apple recently completed the second phase of production testing of its highly-anticipated AR/VR headset. Now, the device is said to enter mass production this fall with a launch expected towards the end of 2022, according to a new report.
Apple’s AR/VR headset could launch towards the end of 2022
Following previous claims by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman that the launch of Apple’s AR/VR headset could be pushed to next year, a new report from DigiTimes claims that the headset is set to enter mass production in August-September. The publication says with production taking place in the fall, the tech giant plans to launch the product towards the backend of 2022.
Apple’s first AR headset, mainly targeting professional vertical market applications, is expected to undergo EVT3 soon and enter volume production in August-September before hitting the market by the end of the year, the sources said.
In January, Mark Gurman reported that Apple is running into problems like overheating, in addition to issues with the headset’s software and cameras. The overheating was expected to be caused by the device featuring multiple displays as well as an M-series chip meant for mobile workstations. The issues were said to be forcing a change in Apple’s internal release plans.
Unless Apple faces an issue with production, we expect to see a mixed-reality headset with two M1-like chips which will power three displays that use OLED technology with 3,000 PPI and Fresnel’s hybrid ultra-short focal length lenses.
The headset is expected to feature hand gesture detection, eye tracking, iris recognition, voice control, skin detection, facial expression detection, and spatial detection for input. Apple is creating the product for short periods of use.
It is expected to cost several thousand dollars since the first-generation headset will be higher-end, aimed at professionals and developers to expand Apple’s ecosystem in AR/VR. However, we would not be surprised if Apple’s pricing is much lower than rumored and surprises everyone. Separately, a recent TrendForce report suggests the headset will launch with a monthly subscription plan to compete with Facebook Oculus Quest 2 and Microsoft HoloLens 2.
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