Apple has been working on a Mixed Reality Headset for a while now and this headset is expected to have some features that will give a new dimension to Virtual Reality Headsets. Although the Headset has been worked on for months, the latest reports claim that the iPhone maker will finally start mass producing the VR Headset in March 2023. Supply chain sources have claimed this production timeline to DigiTimes recently. The headset will be made by Pegatron, the same manufacturing partner that Apple uses for iPhone 14 series.
What is this headset about?
The first Apple headset is a mixed-reality or extended-reality headset. It combines AR (augmented reality) and VR (virtual reality). In VR, one is transported to a fabricated world while in augmented reality, additional virtual elements are placed into the real world. The Apple Reality Pro Headset will use high-resolution cameras that can feed through what you see normally. There are ‘pass through’ cameras that allow the most immersive experiences.
Apple has trademarked the ‘Reality’ brand name which is tipped to be for the company’s line of headsets. The MR Headset has been codenamed N301 and is expected to compete with Facebook parent Meta’s upcoming MR Headset. The MR Headset might use iris scanning for enabling sign-in payments.
When will MR Headset launch?
In a report that came out in September, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman confirmed that the headset will be called Apple Reality Pro and claimed that it will launch in 2023. Now, the latest reports claim that Apple will start mass producing the MR headset in March 2023 and since Apple holds 3 major launch events every year, the headset could be launched in April 2023. However, nothing can be called concrete as of now as all this is a multi-stage process.
Apple MR Headset: Price
The Apple Reality Pro Headset is expected to use the same processors which are found in Apple’s laptops and iPad Pro making it a standalone device. It is more of a Meta Quest 2 than a Sony PSVR 2. The Headset will be a powerful computer on its own which makes it cost higher. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggests that the price will be more than 2000 USD.
This is the reason why the DigiTimes report claims that a supply of just 700,000 to 800,000 units for the first year is being targeted.
