FYI: Here's how to watch WWDC 2022 live stream.
A few days ago we heard a rumor that Apple’s long-awaited Apple VR/AR headset could make an appearance at WWDC next week. All because a trademark has been filed for June 8 regarding “realityOS." But according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the headset won’t be making an appearance.
Kuo believes that the Apple headset won’t be entering production for “some time” — ahead of a rumored 2023 release. According to Kuo this means the headset and realityOS software aren’t likely to be on show at WWDC 2022. Why? Because that would tip off Apple’s competition and let them copy the company’s ideas for their own products.
Kuo isn’t alone in this assertion either. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman recently refuted suggestions that the headset could arrive at WWDC. While confirming development on the headset is “full steam ahead," any hardware at WWDC is likely to be Mac-related — something he’s suggested multiple times before.
(1/2)It still takes some time before Apple AR/MR headset enters mass production, so I don't think Apple will release AR/MR headset and rumored realityOS at WWDC this year. Apple's competitors worldwide can't wait to see the hardware spec and OS design for Apple's AR/MR headset.May 31, 2022
(2/2)I'm sure that if Apple announces AR/MR headset and its OS at WWDC, competitors will immediately kick off copycat projects and happily copy Apple's excellent ideas, and hit the store shelves before Apple launches in 2023.May 31, 2022
Gurman, and lawyer Jason Manakis, also pointed out that trademark filings are a legal requirement. So the timing is likely a coincidence, and the application isn’t evidence that the headset, or realityOS, will show up at WWDC.
Why not announce the Apple VR/AR headset early?
Apple’s headset seems to have had more rumored reveal dates than we can count, and each time it ends in disappointment. While it’s not impossible that Apple could unveil the headset at WWDC, Kuo makes a very good point about the dangers of revealing a product so far ahead of launch.
Anytime Apple develops something innovative, it immediately ends up being copied by other companies. You also have to consider the fact that once a product has been announced, it can’t be unannounced.
Exactly. June 8 in the RealityOS trademark is coincidence. Maybe we’ll see it there, but the trademark application isn’t evidence of that. https://t.co/dKQat1kM9kMay 30, 2022
Apple’s AirPower is a great example of this in action. Not only was AirPower announced before Apple was ready to release, a very uncharacteristic move, the company made some pretty lofty promises about what it could do.
AirPower was supposed to be able to charge three devices simultaneously, while communicating with each other and managing power consumption accordingly. After much speculation on why it hadn’t arrived, Apple canceled the project claiming that it wouldn’t meet the company’s high standards. Turning AirPower into a cautionary tale of announcing products that weren’t ready. It seems unlikely Apple would make that mistake again so soon/
Unsurprisingly, copycat devices did pop up in the months and years following AirPower’s reveal. Apple, meanwhile, seemingly changed lanes and focussed on MagSafe wireless charging instead.
It’s not impossible that Apple might have something headset-related ready for WWDC. But it doesn’t seem likely given most rumors point towards the headset arriving sometime in 2023. We’ll just have to wait and see what the WWDC keynote, which kicks off at 1 p.m. ET on June 6, has in store for us on the day.
