In just three weeks, Tim Cook will kick off one of the most anticipated WWDC keynotes ever, with the expected arrival of Apple’s first AR headset leading a flurry of rumored announcements. Now a report from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims Apple is “well prepared” for next month’s Reality Pro announcement.
Along with the confirmation that the headset is imminent, Kuo outlines five suppliers for the top five most expensive materials. As expected, the display and cameras top the list, with Apple using several suppliers to provide components:
- Assembly: Luxshare-ICT
- Micro OLED display: Sony
- Dual processors: TSMC
- Casing: Everwin Precision
- Camera modules: Cowell
- External battery pack: Goretek
Apple has used many of these suppliers before, with Goretek supplying AirPods parts, and Cowell, Sony, Luxshare, and Everwin Precision responsible for various iPhone components. TSMC has been Apple’s silicon partner for many years. Kuo claims that Cowell will be “the largest beneficiary in terms of revenue and profit contribution.” He doesn’t say who will be supplying the actual sensors, but they’re likely to be made by Sony.
If you needed more reason to be excited, Oculus founder Palmer Luckey, who has presumably tried the headset, wrote that the device is “so good” on Twitter. A handful of reports about people using the headset have cropped up recently, suggesting Apple is both showing off the headset and allowing people to generate buzz with vague impressions. And if you needed any more confirmation: Apple has filed a secret trademark for an xrOS wordmark in its traditional font. xrOS or extended reality OS has been the rumored name for the headset’s operating system for a while.
After years of rumors, Apple’s Reality Pro headset is one of the most anticipated products since the Apple Watch. The latest reports claim that the headset will be packed with tech, including a magnetic battery pack, dual 4K displays, advanced eye tracking, and wide app support. It is expected to cost upwards of $3,000 and may not be available to ship until late 2023.
Author: Michael Simon, Executive Editor
Michael Simon has been covering Apple since the iPod was the iWalk. His obsession with technology goes back to his first PC—the IBM Thinkpad with the lift-up keyboard for swapping out the drive. He's still waiting for that to come back in style tbh.