A few days ago, a well-known leaker speculated that Apple would not unveil the first-gen mixed reality headset at WWDC 2022. The insider said that the product isn’t ready to launch, and unveiling the realityOS glasses at WWDC would allow rivals to copy Apple’s design and ideas.
The report dropped just as other stories said it’s unlikely for Apple to unveil the realityOS glasses at the event.
realityOS is the expected marketing name for the operating system that will power augmented (AR) and virtual reality (VR) experiences on Apple’s headsets and glasses in the future. Apple already applied for a trademark of the OS, although it’s unlikely the company will show realityOS at WWDC next week.
A last-minute leak claims that Apple plans to release the realityOS glasses next year. As a result, any WWDC 2022 announcement is out of the question for Apple’s mixed reality products.
What will Apple’s mixed reality headset do?
We saw an increasing number of reports detailing Apple’s mixed reality glasses in the past few years. The company has been developing the new wearables for years, encountering various challenges in the process. The various issues that Apple needed to overcome forced Apple to delay the release of its first-gen realityOS glasses.
The mixed reality headset should look like the VR-only devices available from gaming companies. The PSVR, Meta’s Oculus, and the HTC Vive are such examples. But Apple also plans to add AR features to realityOS that will expand the use case for such a device and pave the way for the AR glasses that Apple wants to unveil later this decade.
According to reports, the first-gen realityOS headset should offer support for gaming, content consumption, and communications. It’ll feature several cameras, including internal lenses that track eye movement. The glasses will also have high-resolution displays that beam content into the retina. A MacBook-grade M1 processor will power the realityOS glasses and deliver wireless VR and AR experiences.
That’s what rumors say, however. Apple has never confirmed such speculations.
realityOS glasses to launch in 2023
If LeaksApplePro’s new report is accurate, Apple won’t demo realityOS and the mixed reality glasses anytime soon.
The leaker claims that Apple has pushed back the release by a few months, making a WWDC 2022 introduction impossible. Instead, Apple will release the realityOS glasses at some point next year.
Production should start in the fourth quarter of 2022, the report notes. Apple is still dealing with unspecified issues that need to be resolved before it can unveil realityOS.
But Apple might unveil realityOS and the mixed reality glasses at a separate event this year. That way, Apple would give developers time to adapt their apps for the new mixed reality experience or create other apps that will be ready in time for launch.
The realityOS glasses will have their own App Store, which is exactly what we’d expect from Apple. The leaker notes that one of the purposes of the mixed reality glasses is to train developers on buyers on realityOS and pave the way for the AR Apple Glass product that’s coming in 2026.
The realityOS mixed reality glasses will be a bulky device priced at around $2,000. But it’s a required stepping stone for making sophisticated AR glasses that look just like prescription glasses.
At the end of the day, we’re still looking at rumors and speculations. But the report is in line with the claims of other well-known leakers. If they’re correct, Apple might introduce the realityOS glasses this year, but not during Monday’s WWDC 2022 keynote.
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