Norway’s Wealth Fund Backs Shareholder Push for Microsoft Human-Rights Risk Report 
Intel Boosts Malaysia Operations with Additional RM860 Million Investment 
Coupang Apologizes After Massive Data Breach Affecting 33.7 Million Users 
Australia Releases New National AI Plan, Opts for Existing Laws to Manage Risks 
EU Prepares Antitrust Probe Into Meta’s AI Integration on WhatsApp 
Microchip Technology Boosts Q3 Outlook on Strong Bookings Momentum 
Vietnam’s Growing Use of Chinese 5G Technology Raises Western Concerns 
Trump Administration to Secure Equity Stake in Pat Gelsinger’s XLight Startup 
Wikipedia Pushes for AI Licensing Deals as Jimmy Wales Calls for Fair Compensation 
Hikvision Challenges FCC Rule Tightening Restrictions on Chinese Telecom Equipment 
Firelight Launches as First XRP Staking Platform on Flare, Introduces DeFi Cover Feature 
Apple Appoints Amar Subramanya as New Vice President of AI Amid Push to Accelerate Innovation 
Quantum Systems Projects Revenue Surge as It Eyes IPO or Private Sale 
OpenAI Moves to Acquire Neptune as It Expands AI Training Capabilities 
TSMC Accuses Former Executive of Leaking Trade Secrets as Taiwan Prosecutors Launch Investigation 
Amazon and Google Launch New Multicloud Networking Service to Boost High-Speed Cloud Connectivity 
Australia Moves Forward With Teen Social Media Ban as Platforms Begin Lockouts 
Apple has been rumored to release its own AR/VR headset for some time now. However, tech fans might have to wait longer than previously reported as the device is not anticipated to enter production until late 2022.
Reports from earlier this year claimed that Apple is planning to announce a type of head-mounted display (HMD) sometime in 2022. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported last January that it could be a VR headset eyed as a “precursor” product to Apple’s highly anticipated AR glasses.
However, renowned analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported on Monday that the production of Apple’s first AR/VR headset may have been pushed further into 2022. Kuo predicts that its mass production might not begin until the latter part of the fourth quarter of 2022. In that case, the head-mounted device is unlikely to launch anytime before late 2022 or early 2023.
But unlike most product delays this year, Apple may have a different reason for the rumored change in the Apple AR/VR time frame. The issue this time is not the persisting shortages in the supply chain. Kuo said that the tech giant wants to establish a complete “software, ecosystem, and service” before the Apple AR/VR headset enters the market.
“We believe that Apple is positioning its HMD for various applications, not just gaming applications, so the challenge of building software/ecosystem/services is significantly higher than current products/competitors,” Kuo explained (via MacRumors) in his recent research note.
What this change of schedule suggests is that the Apple AR/VR is still in full swing. In Kuo’s previous research notes, the analyst expected the headset to arrive in stores in 2021, which he later changed to the second quarter of 2022.
In the same report from Gurman, the precursor VR headset from Apple is reportedly codenamed N301. At the time, the journalist said the device was already at the late stage of prototyping, making the previously reported release windows seem plausible.
Meanwhile, The Information reported last February that Apple might opt for a slightly unusual approach in entering the AR/VR market. The report claimed that Apple’s first VR headset might be introduced as a niche product. That means it would not be marketed as a mainstream device, so it could be priced around $3,000.
Photo by Chris Nagahama on Unsplash
