Apple may launch mixed reality headset in Jan 2023, report

Apple is likely to release its mixed reality (MR) headset in January 2023, said renowned Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. 

"After Apple launches the AR/MR headset, I think Apple’s global rivals will compete to imitate it," said Kuo in a blog post. 

Kuo believes this will spur the headset hardware industry to the next stage of rapid growth and benefit the related services and content ecosystem.

Last November, Mark Gurman of Bloomberg had predicted that Apple would launch an MR headset with an 8K display and price tag of around $3,000 sometime in 2022. 

Before WWDC 2022, Bloomberg reported that Apple gave a demo of its VR/AR headset to its board members. This led many to speculate that Apple may unveil the headset at the developer conference. 

Apple is also believed to have applied for trademark filing at the US Patent and Trademark Office for something called Reality OS, which will be used in wearable electronic devices including smart glasses. 

The trademark application is on the name of another company called Realityo Systems LLC, but RealityOS is reportedly the name of the OS that Apple has been building. 

Early this week, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia, Qualcomm and Epic Games announced that they have formed a group called Metaverse Standards Forum to accelerate development of industry standards for the industry. 

Though Apple is not part of the forum, Kuo said that Apple is an industry leader with significant competitive advantages and doesn’t need to join the Metaverse Standards Forum now.

Kuo further said that Meta's decision to slowdown investment in the VR business will help other brands grow. 

"Meta sold VR headsets at a loss and aggressively promoted its VR business. The VR industry has matured, so even if Meta currently slows down its investment, it won’t hinder VR industry’s continuous growth," he added. 

On June 23, Kuo had said in a Twitter post that Meta is expected not cut its VR headset shipments by 40% in 2022.