What you need to know
- A new report says Apple VR may debut at a January event next year.
- Ming-Chi Kuo says the headset has been delayed by lockdowns in China.
- He predicts that it will be in stores before WWDC 2023.
A new prediction from Apple analyst and insider Ming-Chi Kuo says that Apple's mythical VR headset could debut at an event in January of next year.
Following Apple's WWDC 2022 keynote on Monday, Kuo stated Tuesday that Apple may postpone the shipping date of its virtual reality/mixed reality headset until the second quarter of 2023, rather than the first.
Kuo says that lockdowns impacting Apple suppliers in China have interrupted the development of the headset, and noted that there weren't really any major hints at a new headset or any kind of realityOS given by Apple at its keynote on Monday.
Kuo now predicts that Apple could hold a media event for the device in January of 2023, before sending out a development kit to developers a few weeks later. He predicts pre-orders will begin in the second quarter of the year and that the headset will be on the shelves by this time next year, specifically before WWDC 2023.
Multiple previous reports indicate that Apple is planning an Apple VR headset that will be capable of both virtual and mixed reality experiences. While it was hinted that Apple might in fact hint at or even reveal its new headset at WWDC, instead Apple only gave us its regular iterations of iOS 16, iPadOS 16, macOS Ventura, watchOS 9, and a brand new MacBook Air.
The latter comes with Apple's new M2 Apple silicon chip, boasting an almost 20% increase in performance over the MacBook Air with M1, and a new design.
