Apple’s Reality Pro headset may launch sooner than anyone expected

By Alex Blake Published April 27, 2023

Apple’s mixed-reality headset is probably the company’s worst-kept secret at this point, and multiple rumors have claimed it will launch at the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June. What’s less clear is when the device will actually go on sale, but a fresh report might have just leaked this top-secret detail.

The information comes from Taiwan’s Economic Daily News (machine translation), which has just released a report on the Reality Pro headset. In that report, the outlet claims Apple is in a “final sprint” to get the product ready, suggesting it is almost ready to ship.

A woman reaching out while wearing a VR headset. — Mark Nazh/Shutterstock

Interestingly, the report cites Foxconn subsidiary GIS, which it claims will be fitting the lenses to the Reality Pro. The report notes that GIS believes it will start shipping a metaverse product “from the second quarter” of 2023. That oblique statement is thought to be a reference to Apple’s headset.

Recommended Videos

The second quarter runs until the end of June 2023, suggesting that the headset could launch mere weeks after WWDC kicks off on June 5. That would be a remarkably short window considering how many problems the headset is rumored to have faced, even as recently as earlier this month.

Shipping by the summer?

A rendering of four Apple mixed-reality headsets (Reality Pro) in various colors sitting on a surface. — Ahmed Chenni, Freelancer.com

That said, Economic Daily News allows for a little wiggle room when it comes to the shipping date. Further down in the report is the assertion that the headset’s “mass production and shipment will begin in the second and third quarters.” The third quarter runs from July 1 to September 30.

Yet even that date might be ambitious. Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman has recently claimed that the many delays the headset has faced mean Apple will simply be happy to get it onto store shelves in time for the holidays. Previously, Gurman had expected the device to be revealed in March and start shipping in September.

Still, the report from Economic Daily News suggests at least one company is optimistic that the Reality Pro could go on sale as soon as this summer. If Apple is able to pull off a June launch, it will mark an impressive turnaround for a device seemingly plagued by setbacks and delays.

Computing Writer

Alex Blake has been working with Digital Trends since 2019, where he spends most of his time writing about Mac computers…

Topics

Computing

Google Gemini can now create and edit PDFs, documents, and more right inside your chat

No more downloading, editing, and uploading files all over again.

Gemini AI on a phone.

Google has recently released many updates introducing new features to its AI suite, and the latest one could save users dealing with documents a lot of tedious work. The company has added the ability to create, preview, and edit documents, PDFs, presentations, spreadsheets, and code directly within Gemini conversations. Previously, you could generate and download files, but now you can work on them without leaving the chat.

You can now make changes without starting over

Computing

Reddit will force everyone to log in, and there’s no escape if you want to post or just lurk

The login-only experience will go into the testing phase in the coming months, starting with a few overseas markets.

reddit

Reddit is making login mandatory for all users of the platform. In a lengthy post, the Reddit chief explained that the company is moving to a permanently logged-in experience because it wants to offer users more personalization, helping them find content that’s more relevant to their interests and tastes.

The core idea, according to the company, is to nudge users into joining more communities and engaging with content through comments, votes, and more. The company, however, assures that the change won’t affect anonymity, which has long been one of the platform’s core appeals. The sign-up flow isn’t changing either. You won’t be required to submit any information beyond what’s already needed to create a Reddit account.

Computing

Your search engine could be hijacked by a Chrome extension that barely does anything

Your next search might take a detour you never approved.

Google Chrome

A browser extension that does nothing except change your search engine sounds harmless, almost boring, right? After reading this research, I’m convinced you shouldn't ignore it.

Security firm Socket says it found over 300 Chrome extensions that quietly swap a user’s default search engine and route every search through servers controlled by the people behind them before it reaches Bing or Yahoo. Even more alarming, these extensions have reportedly racked up roughly 13.4 million installs over the past decade.