Apple delays unveiling of mixed-reality headset, report claims

Apple’s highly anticipated mixed-reality headset is expected to be unveiled at the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June, according to a new report by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.

A Bloomberg report last month suggested the headset would land in April, but according to Gurman’s sources Apple has now delayed its appearance by three months after testing of the device surfaced software and hardware issues.

While it now seems likely that the headset will be shown off at WWDC, it’s not expected to go on sale until later in the year.

The headset has been many years in development, and Apple will want to make sure it’s ready for all of the scrutiny coming its way.

It seems pretty much certain that the product will be called “Reality Pro” and offer virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) capabilities, enabling wearers to immerse themselves in a virtual world or have digital data overlaid onto real-world, real-time imagery.

Multiple reports have suggested it’ll come with a hefty $3,000 price tag, double that of Meta’s Quest Pro headset.

But for that money, you can expect a premium product with some nifty extras. For example, hands-free control could be part of the package, as well as 4K displays, and Apple’s powerful M2 chip powering the device’s operating system, dubbed xrOS internally. Gurman claims the headset will also feature “a 3D-like view of an iPhone interface, complete with apps like Messages, Mail, Safari, and TV. The device … will allow for more advanced virtual videoconferencing, with realistic avatars, as well as immersive video streaming. It will also include an App Store like Apple’s other core products.”

We should note that while this latest report suggests Apple is now set on unveiling the MR headset in June at its WWDC event, this plan could still change according to the progress engineers make with resolving the outstanding issues linked to the headset.

In related news, Apple has reportedly suspended the development of its AR glasses due to technical challenges, and also because it wanted its teams to focus instead on the Reality Pro mixed-reality headset.

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