Independent tech analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says Apple’s highly anticipated mixed reality headset is very likely set for its reported Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) unveiling in June. Another generation is also in the pipeline, Kuo maintains, which he suggests may come at some point in 2025.

Kuo, a long-time Apple analyst and respected figure in supply chain leaks, says in a Medium post it’s “highly likely” we’ll see an unveiling at WWDC. This comes despite earlier reports of supply chain delays that would ultimately see the headset launch later this year. He says Apple is “well prepared” for the announcement of the headset, which is rumored to cost $3,000.

Should Apple’s MR headset announcement surpass expectations, Kuo suggests the device will pave the way for a transformative investment trend in the industry, as other makers follow suit to jump on the trend.

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A positive announcement at WWDC could be a promising development for the share prices of companies involved in the headset’s production, Kuo maintains. Apart from Luxshare-ICT, which the analyst says has an exclusive assembly agreement for the headset, companies such as Sony (micro-OLED display), TSMC (dual processors), Everwin Precision (primary casing supplier), Cowell (12 camera modules), and Goertek (external power supply) may greatly benefit from their involvements as exclusive component suppliers.

Furthermore, Kuo claims a second-generation Apple headset is expected to go into mass production in 2025, which will be offered in both a high and low-end version.

“Shipments of the 2nd generation in 2025 are expected to be around ten times those of the 1st generation in 2023,” Kuo says in a separate Medium post.

Outside of the avalanche of leaks, and even a brief tweet by Oculus founder Palmer Luckey stating Apple’s headset was “so good”, the whole industry is waiting for the June 5th keynote at the company’s annual developer conference. One thing is for sure: whether a hit or miss, however you slice it Apple’s headset will be pivotal for the XR industry as a whole.

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Scott Hayden
Well before the first modern XR products hit the market, Scott recognized the potential of the technology and set out to understand and document its growth. He has been professionally reporting on the space for nearly a decade as Editor at Road to VR, authoring more than 4,000 articles on the topic. Scott brings that seasoned insight to his reporting from major industry events across the globe.
  • Till Eulenspiegel

    I think Apple has chosen the worst time to launch this headset. It’a recession and inflation everywhere in the world, very few people are willing to spend $3000 on an experimental toy when the price of necessities are becoming more expensive everyday.

    • ViRGiN

      it’s always recession and inflation, all the time.
      when do you think there were golden times where this launch makes sense? which year?

      • Till Eulenspiegel

        The best time was during the pandemic, when people were lockdown in their house.

        Government around the world were giving people free money, some use it to buy new computer – which leads to an explosion of PC sales during that period. Some don’t know what to do with it – and use it to buy bitcoin and other cryptos which was why bitcoin reached $70,000.

        All these excess money was the reason for the inflation today. As they said, “the chickens have come home to roost”.

        • ViRGiN

          Governments around the world weren’t giving away money lol. That sounds like US.

          Pandemic was probably the worst time ever to release it. People aren’t going to spend couple of grand on a new toy, when they don’t know how much their bills will skyrocket.

          • Till Eulenspiegel

            It’s not just the US, all the countries were giving money to their citizens during the lockdown.

            Quest 2 was launched in 2020 – it’s success was partly due to the pandemic. Metaverse seems like a great idea during that time, when people can work and play in a VR environment. That’s why Zuck was fooled into investing so much money.

          • ViRGiN

            I didn’t get any money – i got a cap on electricity and gas high prices, as well freezing of rent prices. EU member here. In dire times, entertainment is the last thing people will give up. Quest 2 was super affordable. Mark didn’t get fooled into metaverse and he made it clear it’s many years away. So better get yourself educated on the subject. He didn’t give up on it either.

          • Till Eulenspiegel

            Just because you didn’t get any money doesn’t mean no one is getting any – you need to look at the world outside your bubble.

            Zuck already move on to AI.

            businessinsider dot com/mark-zuckerberg-obsessed-with-ai-meta-facebook-change-name-metai-2023-4

            cnbc dot com/2023/04/05/meta-cto-boz-says-he-and-zuckerberg-spend-most-of-their-time-on-ai.html

            fortune dot com/2023/04/06/mark-zuckerberg-working-on-a-i-for-facebook-instagram-advertiser

          • ViRGiN

            Just because you/US got the money, doesn’t mean the whole world did.
            Zuck never moved to AI. They have been doing AI way before they changed their name to Meta. And why are you quoting a random online outlets that are focused on clickbaiting and getting ad revenue? Why don’t you check personal posts of Mark?

            Sounds like you want to convince yourself that this is the case.

          • Till Eulenspiegel

            Just wait and see.

    • Hiro

      Pretty sure Europe’s top 5 carmakers made record profits last year. Bentley – same. Poor people get poorer, rich get richer – good for Apple.

      • Till Eulenspiegel

        If Apple only sell their products to the rich, they would be out of business years ago. Most of their customers are middle class – people who can afford to buy iPhones but not $3000 on a toy.

        Also, it’s a first gen Apple product – you will be paying Apple money to beta test for them.

    • Blaexe

      Then it’s their job to make sure it’s not only a toy. Let’s see and wait what the ecosystem has to offer and how well it will do in productivity use cases.

      • Till Eulenspiegel

        Apple will want to convince their customers it’s worth $3000 by pitching it as a laptop replacement – ability to run productivity programs. Meta tried that with the Quest Pro, but they failed – they don’t have the productivity softwares necessary to integrate in AR.

        Apple may tried to market it as a virtual computer you can use on a plane or on a toilet with a virtual keyboard you can type with a haptic rings to simulate key typing tactile sensations. Still, $3000 to replace a computer is too much.

        • Blaexe

          Apples and oranges. Quest Pro has a low resolution, subpar Passthrough and no real ecosystem for productivity.

          Rumor says Apple is enabling iPad apps support, which would be huge. And of course the resolution (and computing power) will be on a whole other level.

    • sfmike

      Timing is everything. The launch of 3D TV was made right after most people had just upgraded to an expensive flat screen TV and then they come out with an expensive upgrade, the rest is history.

      • Dave

        I’m not sure 3D TVs failure can be attributed to timing… 3D TVs wearability and accepting a 3D vision for everyday use wasn’t practical for the mass market, a problem XR / VR also still has to solve. This Apple release will be interesting, probable wise to target a smaller group.

      • ViRGiN

        3D TV sold well enough to be continued for several years. There were more 3D TV models made than lighthouse compatibible headset and accessories.

        The problem was lack of content. After Avatar it was mostly shitty third class movies, and most of them used post-production 2D to 3D conversion which is extremely difficult task to pull off.

        Recording in 3D is much more expensive.

        There was a large market of people interested in 3D gaming, Nvidia worked with tons of partners to make compatibible 3D monitors. Niche much bigger than todays VR simming community who are convinced what they need is what everyone else needs.

      • Till Eulenspiegel

        True, if Apple launched their headset earlier during the pandemic, it will have a better chance. Video conferencing apps and VR became a necessity during the lockdown period.

  • Gonzax

    Zero interest in an Apple headset but I think it will be good for VR adoption so good news.

  • sfmike

    Since Apple profits depend on a cult mentality it’s hard to say what will happen.

    • ViRGiN

      That’s truly diminishing of what Apple does best.
      Just because it’s not going to run SteamVR does not mean it’s obsolete.

      Apple doesn’t have monopoly – there are more Android phones released yearly than there were iPhones in the past decade combined.

      Can’t say the same about Valve monopoly – they control ENTIRE PC market. You want to attack a corporation – Valve is the true and right target.

    • Zantetsu

      You have the worst takes on everything. You can never see past your own prejudices. It’s kinda sad.

  • xyzs

    Can’t wait to see what a company with unlimited money and reputation to keep has to offer.
    Personally, I hope that 4k rgb oled, 130 FOV, and external battery pack are true rumours. Placing the battery on the headset is so stupid, somebody has to show the right way.