Apple Inc.’s long-awaited mixed reality headset could finally debut later this year, with a new report suggesting that the device may be launched in the northern spring ahead of Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference.
Mark Gurman at Bloomberg today reported that the device has already been shared with a few high-profile developers for testing and software development, a sure sign that it’s getting close to making an official debut.
As previously reported, the operating system, known internally as “Borealis” inside Apple, will be publicly known as xrOS. The name of the headset is still not 100% confirmed with the likely name being “Reality Pro.”
Gurman said that under the current timeline, Apple will introduce the device to consumers and then get developers up to speed on its software features in June. The headset would then ship in the fall of 2023.
Apple is also said to have deployed resources from several hardware and software engineering teams to help bring the headset to market, but there are still “kinks” to work out, including in hardware, software and services. As a result of moving resources, Gurman reported, other projects have been hampered, meaning that Apple will have fewer new products and services to show off this year.
Reports of a possible Apple headset date back to at least 2015, with the headset described in a report in May as struggling because of internal politics. More recently, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo also suggested that the device will be launched either in spring or at WWDC in June.
Although it has been a long time coming, Apple’s mixed-reality headset will not be the only device unveiled by Apple this year.
Gurman said there will be several new Mac releases, including new MacBook Pros in the first half of the year and a Mac Pro with the M2 Ultra that will look identical to the 2019 model. There is also the off-chance of a larger iMac Pro becoming available.
Some features being developed for iOS are said to have been delayed because of the focus on xrOS, with some features also delayed in macOS. For the iPhone lineup, Gurman expects all four to have Apple’s Dynamic Island, a titanium frame on the Pro models and, most significantly, all four phones are expected to switch to USB-C.
Apple has little choice but to switch to USB-C on its devices after the European Union announced that all devices sold within its boundaries must offer USB-C charging from Dec. 27, 2024. Following the lead of the EU, India has also mandated USB-C starting March 2025.