On June 7, TF International analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said on Twitter that Apple plans to announce its AR/MR device in January 2023 and put off delivery to the second quarter. As the development of its AR/MR headset was interrupted by the lockdown in Shanghai, the iPhone maker did not reveal any AR/MR-related news at WWDC (the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference) 2022.
Kuo indicated that Apple plans to launch an EVT (engineer verification test) for its AR/MR headset in 2Q22 before delivering the DTK (developer tool kit) in the next 2 to 4 weeks. The headset will be ready for pre-order in 2Q23 and launched shortly before WWDC 2023.
The AR/MR headset will come with two ABF substrates, two CPUs made of 4-nanometer and 5-nanometer chips, with the CPUs and ABF substrates being solely provided by TSMC and Unimicron, respectively.
The analyst predicts that the headset will comprise 4 pairs of 3D sensor modules, a configuration nearly double that of iPhones; the VCSELs required for 3D sensing are likely being supplied by WIN Semiconductors and Lumentum.
Kuo has previously said that it will take some time for the tech giant to mass produce its AR/MR headset. He believes Apple will probably announce the product—the most prominent flagship after the iPhone—at an exclusive event.