Apple MR headset may be delayed by software problems

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reports that Apple's Mixed Reality headset has slipped because of software development issues, and fewer than 500,000 may be made in all of 2023.

As Kuo reports of changes in hardware development of the Apple MR headset, he's now also saying that according to his sources, there are software issues. He has no details of what they are, or their severity, but it's sufficient to mean that shipping of the headset may be delayed.

(6/8)
My latest survey indicates that the mass shipment schedule of Apple's MR headset may delay to 2H23 because of software-related issues (vs. the previous estimate of 2Q23).
— (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) December 4, 2022

In a thread on Twitter, Kuo says that he still expects components to be produced in the first half of 2023, most likely the second quarter. But where the industry expected Apple to ship between 800,000 and 1.2 million headsets in 2023, it will "likely be less than 500k units."

Kuo says that it's not known yet whether Apple intends to postpone its public announcement of the headset. "It still needs to be determined whether the media event schedule (previously estimated in January 2023) will also delay," he writes, "but usually, if the time frame between the media event and end product mass shipment is too long, it's detrimental to promotion and sales."

16 Comments

Xed 2868 comments · 4 Years

About 1 year ago

I love how an unannounced product can be "delayed".

Rogue01 186 comments · 3 Years

What about the problem with no one wanting them? With inflation and a looming recession and most living paycheck to paycheck, people have much higher priorities than wasting $3,000 on a pair of Apple goggles that probably won't do much. Apple thought the iPhone 14 Plus was a such a great idea, and look how bad that turned out. Apple severely cut back on production because no one wants it.

Rogue01 said:

What about the problem with no one wanting them? With inflation and a looming recession and most living paycheck to paycheck, people have much higher priorities than wasting $3,000 on a pair of Apple goggles that probably won't do much. Apple thought the iPhone 14 Plus was a such a great idea, and look how bad that turned out. Apple severely cut back on production because no one wants it.

The same can be said for $3,000 Macs and $1,000 iPhones but people still buy them because 1) they want them and 2) they can finance them (often at 0% interest).

None of us needs a Mac, iPhone, or iPad, but if we feel their utility warrants the price so we get them. If Apple can show that their mixed-reality headset is worth owning then people will buy them. Personally, I neither want nor don't want to get Apple's headset. I'll first have to get a feel for the experience before I make a decision on cost v utility. It's like only ever having experienced a Blackberry or Windows tablet to claim that the iPhone and iPad would be crap copy-cat devices that "no one wants".

How about we let companies actually announce a product before we weigh on on whether we like it or not? Crazy, right?

thedba 790 comments · 12 Years

AppleInsider said:

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reports that Apple's Mixed Reality headset has slipped because of software development issues, and fewer than 500,000 may be made in all of 2023.

As Kuo reports of changes in hardware development of the Apple MR headset, he's now also saying that according to his sources, there are software issues. He has no details of what they are, or their severity, but it's sufficient to mean that shipping of the headset may be delayed.

In a thread on Twitter, Kuo says that he still expects components to be produced in the first half of 2023, most likely the second quarter. But where the industry expected Apple to ship between 800,000 and 1.2 million headsets in 2023, it will "likely be less than 500k units."

Read on AppleInsider

I boldfaced the key parts of his argument.
The first part of his prediction is anywhere between 0 and 499,999. So if they don’t ship, then he’s right.
Second part, software issues but he has no idea what. Should we put our money on that?
Third part, which industry? The only one that matters here is, Apple. Unless they announce something that should be available by some specified date, it doesn’t matter what outsiders “industry experts” claim.
Wasn’t that same industry talking about an Apple car, until they stopped talking about it?

StrangeDays 12959 comments · 8 Years

Rogue01 said:

What about the problem with no one wanting them? With inflation and a looming recession and most living paycheck to paycheck, people have much higher priorities than wasting $3,000 on a pair of Apple goggles that probably won't do much. Apple thought the iPhone 14 Plus was a such a great idea, and look how bad that turned out. Apple severely cut back on production because no one wants it.

So much rubbish in just one paragraph! Well done!

How long have you been embedded on the team? Surely a long while since you know the capabilities and pricing of this unannounced product. Do share with us!