Rumors have been made that Apple’s long-awaited mixed reality headset could be launched before the summer of 2023, and a mention of the hardware is expected to appear in the beta version of iOS 16. Apple is reportedly working on a mixed reality headset, the first VR and AR product Apple has developed, and it’s been rumored for some time. With rumors that the device is undergoing pre-production testing, it looks like Apple’s software will be ready to take advantage of the technology in the future.
In outlining WWDC’s expectations for 2022, Mark Gurman’s “Power On” newsletter for Bloomberg involved mixed reality headsets. While Apple clearly plans to launch the product during the developer conference, Gurman believes the product could be launched in late 2022 or early 2023.
Although it was “still impossible” for Gurman to introduce the product at the WWDC conference, it was reported that the beta version of iOS 16 was “full of references to the headset and its interaction with the iPhone.” It is estimated that the presence of these references could mean that there will be a product launch at any time during the iPhone 16 cycle, i.e. between June 2022 and June 2023.
These references may also indicate that Apple may be preparing to preview some AR and VR software in advance, and possibly even the device’s operating system “rOS”.
In terms of other iOS features, Gurman expects “considerable across-the-board enhancements,” including notifications of updates, as well as new health tracking features. It is thought that a major redesign of the iOS interface will not appear, but further tweaks to iPadOS multitasking may appear.