According to a fresh story quoting “those familiar” with the project, the much-leaked Apple AR/VR headset won’t be unveiled until 2023, which means it won’t be at the WWDC 2022 presentation on Monday.
New York Times(opens in new tab) reports that following “continued issues” with battery power, the device – “a headset that mixes the digital world with the real world” – will now launch next year.
The HMD is expected to incorporate both augmented reality (digital visuals overlayed on top of the real world) and virtual reality (completely contained digital environments). A hybrid between the Oculus Quest and the HoloLens.
Hollywood involvement
More information can be gleaned from this New York Times story. In order to create video content for the new technology, Apple has reportedly hired Hollywood directors like Jon Favreau (who directed Iron Man and the upcoming 2019 rendition of The Lion King).
Previously, Favreau was an executive producer on the Prehistoric Planet series, which recently aired on Apple TV Plus. It appears that when the headset is released, there will be some content available for it.
At WWDC 2022, we will see new tools for developers to add camera and speech capability to their projects, paving the way for more hands-free control of applications. 3D hand tracking has been mentioned as a possible input method for the future device, according to speculations.
Analysis: Apple is going to take its time
In the wake of the realityOS trademark, we hoped that Apple will reveal its AR/VR headset during the Worldwide Developers Conference, which begins on June 6. It would have been odd, but not impossible, if the game was released next week.
Even if the new hardware has already been revealed to the Apple board, it now appears doubtful that we will see it. We may get a glimpse of the software at WWDC 2022, but there will be no hardware announcement because it is a developer conference. This means that app developers will be able to go to work on headgear apps.
According to Apple’s past, the company has a tendency to be patient when it comes to releasing new products. Apple isn’t always the first to market with new items, but when it does, it’s virtually always the best option very immediately.
The plot seems to be the same as it was before. Although there are already many VR and AR gadgets on the market (and many more in the pipeline), there are also regular reminders that the metaverse holds great promise. In order for Apple to release a headset, the company must be satisfied with both the hardware and software.