Apple has again pushed back mass production of its mixed-reality headset and the device may not appear at this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today said.
In a tweet, Kuo explained that Apple “isn’t very optimistic” about whether the headset will be able to create an “iPhone moment.” As a result, the company has chosen to delay the device’s mass production schedule to the middle to the end of the third quarter of 2023. Kuo believes that the delay adds uncertainty around “whether the new device will appear at WWDC 2023, as the market widely expects.”
The delay also means that shipment forecasts of the headset for 2023 will be even lower than previously thought, reducing to just 200,000 to 300,000 units. Previously, around half a million units were expected to ship this year.
Apple’s cause for concern with the device is allegedly in anticipation of poor market feedback, catalysed by the economic downturn, hardware specification compromises, the weight of the device, the readiness of the headset’s ecosystem and applications, and its high selling price. Kuo believes that the headset will be priced at $3,000 to $4,000, or even higher.
Kuo’s comments mirror a recent report from The New York Times, which claimed that Apple employees have serious concerns about the headset’s prospects, calling it “a solution in search of a problem.”
Apple yesterday announced that WWDC 2023 will be held between June 5 and June 9. Until now, all indications have suggested that this would be when Apple introduces the headset.
