Apple postpones release of first AR glasses and works on cheaper MR headset

Apple may have delayed the introduction of its first AR glasses. Sources report this to Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman. The AR glasses would initially follow Apple’s first mixed reality headset, which is still planned for this year.

Apple initially hoped to release its first augmented reality glasses after the release of its mixed reality headset, which combines VR and AR, writes Bloomberg. However, the company is said to have encountered technical challenges, forcing the release of its AR glasses to be postponed. The planned AR glasses would be lightweight and show digital content on top of the real world, just like Google Glass and Microsoft HoloLens, for example.

Instead, the company is now working on a cheaper mixed reality headset, sources report to the news agency. That work is being done instead of the AR glasses, which should have been released about a year after the release of Apple’s first MR product. Initially, Apple wanted to release the glasses in 2023, before delaying that release to 2025. The product would now have been postponed indefinitely. Apple has also scaled back work on the AR headset, Bloomberg writes. It is not known whether the AR glasses will be released and when that would happen.

The cheaper mixed reality headset should be released in 2024 or early 2025. According to Mark Gurman, the company makes it cheaper by, for example, using an iPhone soc instead of a more powerful Apple Silicon chip from a Mac. The Information also endorses that Apple is working on a less expensive MR headset with cheaper components. Apple’s first mixed reality headset is rumored to cost around $3,000. It is not known what the price of the cheaper model will be.

Drawing of what the Apple mixed reality headset might look like based on descriptions from anonymous sources.
Source: The Information