Apple continues to remain quiet on its rumored AR/VR headset, but the iPhone maker is looking to ship 1.5 million units of the face-mounted device in 2023 at a price of up to $2,000, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, as reported earlier Sunday MacRumors.
Apple will announce its headset during a January 2023 event and that the company has already presented the device to board members, Kuo said. This could suggest the headset is nearing the final stages of development.
Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Apple’s potential entrance into the virtual reality market is a “pricey, niche precursor” meant to prepare the tech giant for an eventual augmented reality headset, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. This first foray into VR could serve to help developers and dedicated consumers get accustomed to Apple’s headset.
An Apple headset would go up against the Meta Quest 2 and Sony’s PlayStation VR 2, albeit at a much higher price. Even then, the headset has modest sales expectations given its price, with annual sales of just over 180,000, according to Bloomberg.
Rumors suggest the Apple VR headset will have 8K displays, eye-tracking cameras, external cameras for a mixed-reality experience and Apple’s M1 computer processor, like the one found in 2020’s MacBook Air and last year’s MacBook Pro.
