Apple has reportedly entered into an exclusive partnership with supplier Pegatron for the final assembly of the rumored AR headset. The latest information claims that the device will enter mass production from March 2023, meaning that a launch is expected to happen sometime after.
Official Announcement Could Be Held in April 2023, but Potentially High Price Point Means the First AR Headset Will Target Few Customers
The mixed reality headset will not be available in large quantities, according to a paywalled report published on DigiTimes and spotted by MacRumors. The AR headset’s rough shipments estimate for 2023 could be less than one million, suggesting that Apple will price it higher, but it can also mean that Pegatron will not generate as much profit since it is operating on a smaller scale for this product.
“Industry sources stated this XR headset mainly targets the commercial markets. The price is higher and the shipment quantity is limited. Previous estimates said that the annual shipment for this device would reach 2.5 million units. However, right now, rough estimates placed the annual shipment at around 0.7 to 0.8 million units. For supply chain manufacturers that benefit from quantity, this is not a particularly profitable order.”
Fortunately, given the size of Apple as a company, Pegatron has a rare opportunity to establish itself as a preferential supply chain partner for future AR headset models. As it so happens, the company is working on two more headsets and one pair of smart glasses, suggesting that the company is fully invested in augmented and mixed reality. Additionally, the notoriety that comes with partnering with Apple as a supply chain partner will reap the rewards later.
One difference that we noticed was that DigiTimes’ mass production report does not coincide with Ming-Chi Kuo’s, who stated that the AR headset would launch in January 2023 while also mentioning that it would be a steeply-priced, but revolutionary product. Seeing as how DigiTimes does not have the best track record in accuracy, we will recommend our readers treat this information with a pinch of salt.
With only a few months remaining for the next year to start, let us see what all the years that Apple has invested in its rumored AR headset brought for its consumer base.
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News Source: DigiTimes
