Monday, December 5, 2022 4:28 pm1 Comment

• News

Apple’s mixed-reality (AR/VR) headset is delayed into the second half of next year due to “software-related issues,” TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reports.

Ming-Chi Kuo via Twitter:

It’s already a market consensus the AR/VR headset device will be the next critical growth driver for optical industry. The market previously expected Apple’s MR headset, which will start mass shipments in 2Q23, would be a spotlight in the low season of the optical industry.

Therefore, the delay in mass shipment of this product may hurt optical industry’s near-term market sentiment. Major suppliers of Apple MR headset optical suppliers include Largan (lens), Genius (Pancake), Cowell (camera module), Primax (eyeball tracking module), etc.

My latest survey indicates that the mass shipment schedule of Apple’s MR headset may delay to 2H23 because of software-related issues (vs. the previous estimate of 2Q23).

The mass shipment schedule of components is still likely 1H23/2Q23, but due to postponed mass shipment schedule of the end product, Apple MR headset shipment forecast in 2023 will likely be less than 500k units, which is lower than the market consensus of 800k-1,200k units.

It still needs to be determined whether the media event schedule (previously estimated in January 2023) will also delay, but usually, if the time frame between the media event and end product mass shipment is too long, it’s detrimental to promotion and sales.

MacDailyNews Take: There’s plenty of time for Apple to get it right in this nascent market.

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