In a recent article over at Medium, veteran Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has shared some important updates regarding the prospects of AR/VR headset devices.
Kuo says Sony has cut its 2023 production plan for the PS VR2 by about 20%, whereas Meta’s Quest Pro’s product lifecycle shipment is only 300,000 units.
Similarly, China’s largest AR/VR headset brand Pico missed its shipment goals by over 40% last year.
Some critical updates on the sales/shipments of AR/VR headset devices / 有些關於AR/VR頭戴裝置的銷售/出貨關鍵更新https://t.co/lWF0FONYjG
— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo)
The reason for lower-than-expected shipments for these devices is a “lack of evidence to prove that AR headsets will be the next must-have product,” he says.
“Apple’s announcement event is likely the last hope for convincing investors that the AR/MR headset device could have a chance to be the next star product in consumer electronics,” notes Kuo.
Last week, Apple announced that WWDC 2023 will kick off on June 5. Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman believes Apple is still on track to unveil its first mixed-reality headset at the event.
Apple’s first AR/VR headset will be targeted at professionals and is expected to cost around $3,000 USD (a little over $4,000 CAD).
It will run off a battery pack that will offer up to two hours of backup, and feature multiple 4K OLED displays and more than a dozen camera modules.
