Apple has indefinitely postponed its augmented reality glasses, and instead will shift its focus to an affordable mixed reality headset.
After announcing the announcement of the latest MacBook Pro 14 and MacBook Pro 16, it’s now been reported that Apple’s augmented reality glasses have been delayed. While the company was initially planning to release the glasses sometime in 2023, it has been pushed back to 2025, and now, it no longer has a release date. Although it hasn’t been cancelled, unfortunately it won’t be arriving anytime soon.
The news comes from Mark Gorman bloomberg, reporting on the augmented reality glasses from Apple that were due to arrive after the launch of its mixed reality headset. Gurman reports that plans to unveil the device sometime after the release of its mixed reality headset have been put on hold. Moreover, Apple will now shift its strategy instead to unveiling an affordable mixed reality headset, which could arrive as early as 2024.
Gorman highlights that augmented reality glasses will likely be years out or may not be launched at all. Of course, this is a difficult area to tackle as many companies have tried to introduce a similar product but failed to gain any real traction. TCL has invested heavily, and even recently announced a new pair of augmented reality glasses during CES 2023. With Apple’s AR glasses in the rearview mirror, consumers will now need to look forward to the company’s mixed reality offerings.
The price of Apple’s mixed reality headset has always been very high, with many reports saying that it can go for more than $3,000. This is because the product will be positioned as a premium device, made of aluminum, glass and even carbon fiber. On top of that, it will pack a camera array that could go into double digits, and it could arrive with 4K micro-LED displays. Based on what has been reported, the device will be a niche product that not many will be able to buy, but they will be very curious about it.
If Apple can offer a more affordable version, Gurman suggests the company may aim to hit the $1,500 mark in order to compete with the likes of the Meta’s Quest Pro and HTC’s Vive XR Elite. While this new twist is certainly interesting, Apple hasn’t been shy about changing its release plans in recent years. Of course, we’ll probably never know what’s going on inside the company, but if these reports end up being accurate over the next couple of years, we’ll at least have an idea of what’s going on inside Apple Park.
Source: bloomberg
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