In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman predicted that Apple won’t have much time in 2023 to talk about anything other than its new mixed reality headset. So much so that the device is set to get its own special event this spring.
The headphones have had numerous delays and setbacks in their development, and Gurman notes that until recently Apple had hoped to unveil them this month. But that will prove to be the last delay, he believes, as the company will unveil the device in the spring “and then get developers up to speed on its software features [at WWDC] in June. In this timeline, the company will ship the product later in the fall of 2023.”
In part, this plan reflects the lack of other contenders for WWDC stage time. Gurman says the headset project has siphoned engineering resources from multiple hardware and software departments, resulting in iOS 17 and macOS 14 having fewer new features than expected, many Mac launch plans being canceled or scaled back. and the iPad and Apple Watch won’t see major updates in 2023. With its energy focused so heavily on AR and VR, Apple is putting most of its eggs in one basket, and the year’s event schedule is likely to reflect that.
This may seem a little unpleasant, but there is a positive way to look at it. Apple has been working on the headset for a long time, and it must feel the effort was worth it if it’s willing to give the product its own launch event. We know that Cupertino is only too happy to drop products in advanced stages of development if they don’t think they’re ready, and is under no obligation to hold a spring event at all. In other words, there’s plenty of reason to feel optimistic: Apple could introduce an entire ecosystem of AR/VR products, not just one headset, which could make this the most significant launch in years.
In the company’s annual cycle of events and announcements
, the main products are often presented in the spring. The third-generation iPhone SE debuts in March 2022 (the original model was unveiled at an event in March 2016), while new iPad and iMac models are announced in April 2021. But the spring event isn’t as consistent a feature of the calendar as WWDC in June and the launch of the iPhone in the fall, with several springs in the last decade (2013, 2014, 2017 and 2020) seeing no event: not even a virtual video presentation.
This year, it looks like Apple isn’t about to let spring pass without a little stage time. And it’s no wonder if the VR/AR headset is as significant as the company hopes.
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