Bloomberg: Apple AR/VR headset could be delayed until 2023 due to overheating, camera and software issues

We have repeatedly heard that Apple is working on a mixed reality headset. But it seems that the company has encountered problems that may prevent the release of the device.

What's wrong?

Bloomberg, citing people familiar with Apple's plans, writes that it was originally planned to introduce the headset in 2021, but then they decided to postpone the announcement to WWDC 2022, which will be held in June. Now, sources say this is unlikely.

The reason is that Apple has encountered a number of problems related to overheating, camera performance and software. The device is rumored to have two chips, and Bloomberg believes that at least one of them will be on par with the M1 Pro from the latest MacBook Pro models. It is believed that it due to the device has problems with overheating.

Earlier projects attempted to mitigate temperature issues by using an external processing device that could wirelessly transmit data to the headset. But at the time, former chief design officer Jony Ive dismissed the idea.

Eventually due to of these problems, the company can postpone the announcement to the end 2022 or early 2023. Apple allegedly informed supply chain partners that the device is unlikely to be released before 2023. But at the same time, LG Innotek should start producing headset cameras as early as the second quarter of this year.

Incidentally, iOS 16, internally codenamed Sydney, will presumably have built-in headset support to lay the groundwork for the device. Bloomberg notes that this means that Apple "could theoretically preview the technical aspects of the headset or its software without demonstrating the entire device" at WWDC this year.

A source: Bloomberg