Apple’s AR Headset

September 02, 2019

Earlier this year, Bloomberg published a report about Apple's upcoming AR headset. This report mentioned a release date of 2020. Another analyst wrote about the device going into production this year. If Apple would announce the headset next year, it wouldn't go into production this year. iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch were all announced and shown months before entering production.

Entering mass production always results in some leaks. Since Apple wants to avoid leaks of a new product in a new category, they try to announce the product before testing the production process.

I expect the release of Apple's AR headset to play out something like this:

• September 2019: Apple announces the headset at their annual September event. This keynote is Apple's most popular event. We get a quick preview, but no availability or pricing info.
• Winter 2019/2020: An SDK gets released. The headset will most likely include support for RealityKit and SwiftUI. I expect these to be the only UI frameworks for this device.
• Spring 2020: Pricing and availability get announced. The headset will be released a couple of weeks after a spring event.

This release schedule is based on the successful introduction of the Apple Watch.

At this point, it seems very likely, that Apple will announce something new at the September event. The reported dates and some references inside iOS 13 indicate, that we will see the new headset this year.

That's why I still have some hope for an exciting announcement.