Industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who notably revealed Apple’s expected release date and details for its upcoming mixed reality (MR) headset, has said the device may face additional production setbacks due to its complex design, 9to5Mac reported, citing an investor note.
Kuo claimed this week Apple wanted a strong hardware, software, and services ecosystem prior to launching the product, sparking the delay.
The investor note also said Apple did not want the headset to become a gaming device, but have diverse applications. The Cupertino-based firm’s designs were also “much higher than competitors’ products” and “the best industrial design so far,” he added.
Citing sources working in Apple’s supply chain, Kuo added the US tech giant would mass produce the head-mounted display in the fourth quarter 2020, delaying production from Q2 the same year.
The delay is set to hit Young Optics, a Taiwan-based component supplier for the headset, the report said.
The news comes after reports found in late-September Apple would push back the headset launch to the “second half” of 2022 amid a second round of tests ahead of its production phase.
Initial forecasts from Kuo predicted Apple would release the headset in mid-2022, would cost around $2,000, and require tethering to other apple devices such as iPhones and MacBooks via Bluetooth.
The company has released a wave of patents for the device in recent months, including a new MR user interface (UI), an air-conditioning unit, and biometric face tracking upgrades, among others.
Apple is also rumoured to experiment with a higher display resolution for the device after requesting materials for an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display capable of 3,000 pixels per inch (PPI).
