Why Apple won’t reveal a VR headset today

Apple is rumoured to be planning to release its VR/AR headset sometime in 2023

Apple AR headset concept
(Image credit: Antonio De Rosa, ADRStudio | ConceptsiPhone))

It's WWDC 2022 time, the event where Apple is expected to reveal iOS 16, a new version of macOS, an update to the Apple Watch, among other predicted reveals. 

As with everything Apple, secrecy is key. We don't expect to see the iPhone 14 – but pretty much everything else is on the cards, including a rumoured M2-powered MacBook Air (and maybe even a new Mac mini with the same hardware).

But it seems there could be something pretty big missing: Apple's rumoured VR/AR headset. With the Sony PSVR 2 coming soon, we reckon Apple needs to get a wiggle on. 

According to well-respected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has broken a lot of Apple scoops in the past, we won't be seeing the AR/VR headset at WWDC (Tweets embedded below).

Kuo's sources back up previous reports from Bloomberg, which placed a 2023 timeframe on the headset, after Apple ran into numerous problems with its hardware and production.

Not so fast 

Kuo is likely responding to a Tweet (embedded below) showing that a company trademarked "realityOS", aimed specifically at "wearable computer hardware". While this hasn't been linked to Apple specifically, code from a GitHub repo in February referenced  "realityOS".

We don't know that much about Apple's plans – by design, given its secrecy, and because so much is up in the air – but it does seem likely that we'll need to wait until 2023 to get a glimpse of its likely VR headset.

In the meantime, we can sit back and enjoy the WWDC show that Apple has planned for us. The keynote kicks off at 6pm UK time / 1pm East Coast / 10am West Coast on Monday 6 June. T3 will have a live blog on the day, so keep your eyes peeled for all the big reveals. 

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Max Slater-Robins

Max Slater-Robins has written for T3 now on and off for over half a decade, with him fitting in serious study at university in between. Max is a tech expert and as such you'll find his words throughout T3.com, appearing in everything from reviews and features, to news and deals. Max is specifically a veteran when it comes round to deal hunting, with him seeing out multiple Black Friday campaigns to date.