Apple’s Mixed-Reality Headset to go into Production Sometime Next Year

We know from previous leaks that Apple is quietly working on a mixed reality headset. While previously it was rumored to be announced by 2022, the company faced a lot of developmental headwinds which delayed it further.

Now according to a new report from Digitimes, the company has assigned Pegatron as the exclusive partner for final assembly of the Mixed Reality headset. Moreover, the report reveals Apple is not looking at this product as a mass market product yet. The company only expects to ship 0.7-0.8 million units every year. 

Industry sources stated this XR headset mainly targets the commercial markets. The price is higher and the shipment quantity is limited. Previous estimates said that the annual shipment for this device would reach 2.5 million units. However, right now, rough estimates placed the annual shipment at around 0.7 to 0.8 million units. For supple chain manufacturers that benefit from quantity, this is not a particularly profitable order.

And that is expected, as VR/AR are still very niche categories. As for the manufacturer Pegatron, this won’t be a huge order, given lower margins due to high unit costs and less units manufactured on top of that. But obviously, Pegatron won’t be passing up the order anytime soon, given the huge growth opportunities going forward. 

Apple Mixed Reality Headset – Release Date and Pricing

While there’s no clarity on the release date yet, noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo stated a few months back that Apple would announce the Mixed Reality Headset in an event in January 2023.

There have been news of some delays since, so we likely won’t be seeing an unveiling exactly in January, maybe perhaps a few months down the road. 

Digitimes in its most recent report implies that pre-orders won’t be starting before the second quarter of next year. 

As for the pricing, there are rumors all over the place, putting the price anywhere between $2000-$3000. Given the device is still at the pre-production stage, it is best to wait for more information.