The final assembly of Apple's mixed-reality headset is going to be done by Pegatron, according to a report. According to the report, mass production of the headset is expected to begin in March of 2023 with an announcement possibly being held the following month.
Apple's first headset is limited to commercial markets due to a high price point.
Industry sources stated this XR headset mainly targets the commercial markets. The price is higher and the shipment quantity is limited. Previous estimates said that the annual shipment for this device would reach 2.5 million units. However, right now, rough estimates placed the annual shipment at around 0.7 to 0.8 million units. For supply chain manufacturers that benefit from quantity, this is not a particularly profitable order.
Despite low profitability on production of the initial headset, Apple's manufacturing partners are willing to work with Apple on the project to prove their technical capabilities so they will be well positioned for future augmented and virtual reality products. It is easier for firms to raise money in capital markets if they have an Apple brand.
Apple has been working on augmented reality, virtual reality, and mixed reality headsets for a long time, but has faced some difficulties that have slowed its progress. The analyst said in June that Apple would likely introduce the headset in January of next year.
Kuo suggested that pre-orders would not start until the second quarter of 2020 with shipments starting in June.
The difference in expected introduction timing is due to Apple's preference for how much lead time to give developers before the headset begins shipping.
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