the WSJ reveals the details of the first Apple viewer

Apple could further delay the launch of its first headset.

In a recent article, the Wall Street Journal confirmed many details of the Apple’s “Reality Pro” headset. Citing sources close to the company, the report echoes that the AR/VR headset will feature a ski goggle-style design, an external battery pack, and more.

Many of the details reported today by the Wall Street Journal confirm rumors of other leakers, with the presentation of the viewer scheduled for the next WWDC 2023 on June 5th.

The article reiterates that the Apple headset will use an approach of mixed realityallowing users to “experience their virtual worlds through the screen in the glasses” and simultaneously see the “physical world around them thanks to the external facing cameras”.

Despite the expected presentation at WWDC, today’s report points out that the headset won’t be available to most users until at least next fall. Really, mass production could only start in December. Meanwhile, Apple may provide demo units to developers and selected journalists.

Though mass production is still months away, WSJ sources say people within Apple and within the company’s supply chain are concerned about further delays.

Some Apple employees and suppliers have questioned whether the launch could be delayed given challenges with integrating the headset with new software, its manufacturing, and the unreleased market. Apple could still make changes to its timeline.

The tentative introduction of the headset to market, with known hurdles, runs counter to Apple’s usual path of presenting products to the world as fully ready and working. The projected $3,000 price tag is out of reach for many consumers, and the company is already experiencing some production issues.

In terms of physical product design, the WSJ confirms that Apple’s Reality Pro will use an external battery pack. The headset will also “completely close the user’s eyes like a pair of safety goggles can do,” preventing users from directly seeing their surroundings as they would with a normal pair of goggles.

The report also offers interesting details about Apple’s previous plans for the first version of its headset, citing former employees who worked on the project. The story confirms that an earlier idea was for the headset to connect wirelessly to a base station to offload the heavy amounts of computation required. As previously reported, Jony Ive apparently scrapped this idea early on in design work.