Last week analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says that, unlike most predictions, the rumored “RealityPro” won’t debut at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference. However, in his new “Power On” newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman disagrees.
Here’s what Kuo said in a tweet: Because Apple isn’t very optimistic about the AR/MR headset announcement recreating the astounding “iPhone moment,” the mass production schedule for assembly has been pushed back by another 1-2 months to mid-to-late 3Q23. The delay also adds uncertainty to whether the new device will appear at WWDC 2023, as the market widely expects. Furthermore, due to the delay in mass production for assembly, the shipment forecast this year is only 200,000 to 300,000 units, lower than the market consensus of 500,000 units or more.
The main concerns for Apple not being very optimistic regarding the market feedback to the AR/MR headset announcement include the economic downturn, compromises on some hardware specifications for mass production (such as weight), the readiness of the ecosystem and applications, a high selling price (USD 3,000-4,000 or even higher), etc.
However, Gurman says the RealityPro (the rumored name, not Apple’s moniker) will debut at WWDC, and that Apple sees it as “beginning of a post-iPhone era.”
Here’s what Gurman has to say: The headset will be a risky, but potentially monumental launch for Apple. It will herald mixed reality as its next major product category, offering a glimpse of a future where people are interacting with the world via headsets and not pocketable touch screens.
The showcase at WWDC, the Worldwide Developers Conference, will likely include the headset itself, but also its onboard xrOS operating system, accompanying services, and — perhaps most critically — a software development kit and platform that will let developers write new types of apps
WWDC will be held June 5-9. Besides the RealityPro, Gurman says he’s been told that multiple new Macs are in the works for launch around the middle of the year. The lineup could include fresh MacBook Air models and a Mac Pro with in-house Apple chips.
This info from Gurman is from the free edition of “Power On”. If you like it, consider subscribing to Bloomberg.com—you’ll receive the newsletter earlier and get exclusive access to a Q&A section.
Article provided with permission from AppleWorld.Today