Apple’s VR headset could look something like this concept design by artist Antonio de Rosa.
There have been some rumors about Apple’s virtual reality headset in recent months, and now Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is providing new fodder. He recently got one Article on Medium published, in which he takes a closer look at the future of the VR industry in general and Apple’s place in it in particular.
Kuo is a well-known leaker who is particularly familiar with the company’s supply chains and draws his conclusions from this. He calls Apple’s entry into the VR world a Game-Changer
for this area and assumes that suitable hardware will already be presented in January 2023.
Apple itself should focus more specifically on Augmentend Reality
respectively Mixed Reality
put, i.e. on headsets with which you can see your real environment further. However, Kuo expects Apple to give the entire industry a strong boost.
You can find out which established competition Apple faces in our VR buying guide:
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Kuo expects Apple’s headset to be a hit. Part of the analysis is based on Meta (formerly Facebook) reducing its investments in hardware. This means that the company should produce fewer headsets in the future. The reason for this is said to be fear of a recession hitting Meta’s core business, i.e. advertising and social media.
Because Meta sells its headsets at a loss to get as many devices into circulation as possible, the company relies on its core business to generate profits. If this is no longer the case or to a lesser extent, budgets for the unprofitable VR headsets could be cut first.
Kuo sees this as an opportunity for other VR headset manufacturers to take market share. At the same time he speaks of one rapid growth
in the last two to three years, also thanks to Meta’s previous investments. Coupled with the potentially high demand in China and Apple’s entry, he predicts that the strong growth will continue.
Apple becomes industry leader
Kuo does not have any details about Apple’s headset. We don’t know which screens will be installed or what materials the headset will be made of. But he is certain that Apple will drive the industry:
I think Apple’s global competitors will emulate the headset, taking the headset hardware industry into the next phase of rapid growth and boosting the associated ecosystem of services and content.
Hopefully we will find out more details about Apple’s hardware in January 2023. Until then, Apple could not only work on the VR headset, but also on its own handheld console. You can find out more about this in the following article:
Apple wants to get into the games business: This is how the iPhone maker could compete with the Steam Deck
Are you excited about Apple’s AR/MR/VR glasses or virtual reality in general? Could Apple have a game changer ready here or do you see it more critically? Please let us know.
