Apple's highly anticipated mixed-reality headset may not make its debut at this year's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) after all. According to renowned analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the company has pushed back mass production of the device, casting doubt on whether it will be ready for the June event.
Kuo took to Twitter to share his concerns, stating that Apple is "not very optimistic" about creating an "iPhone moment" with the headset. As a result, the company has delayed its mass production schedule to the middle to the end of the third quarter of 2023. This development adds uncertainty around whether the new device will appear at WWDC 2023, as the market widely expects.
The delay also means that shipment forecasts for the headset in 2023 will be significantly lower than previously thought, reducing to just 200,000 to 300,000 units. Previously, around half a million units were expected to ship this year.
Apple's concerns about the device are allegedly driven by poor market feedback, catalyzed by the economic downturn, hardware specification compromises, the weight of the device, the readiness of the headset's ecosystem and applications, and its high selling price. Kuo believes that the headset will be priced at $3,000 to $4,000, or even higher.
Kuo's comments echo a recent report from The New York Times, which claimed that Apple employees have serious concerns about the headset's prospects, calling it "a solution in search of a problem."
Apple has announced that WWDC 2023 will take place between June 5 and June 9. Until now, all indications suggested that this would be when Apple introduces the headset.
In other news, Apple recently shared an ad showcasing the upgraded Center Stage front camera on the latest iPhones, which improves group selfie-taking. The company has also announced that residents in select U.S. states can add their driver's license or state ID to the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch.
New MacBook Pro models with the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips could arrive as soon as Monday, March 2, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The release of new MacBook Pro models is tied to the release of macOS Tahoe 26.3.
It has been a slow start to 2026 for Apple product launches, with only a new AirTag and a special Apple Watch band released so far. We are still waiting for MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, the iPhone 17e, a lower-cost MacBook with an iPhone chip, long-rumored updates to the Apple TV and HomePod mini, and much more.
Apple is expected to release/update the following products: