Mass Production of Apple's Mixed-Reality Headset Said to Begin in March 2023

Apple is moving forward on development of its mixed-reality headset with Pegatron set to be the exclusive partner for final assembly, according to DigiTimes. Based on the headset's current status in the manufacturing validation process, the report predicts that mass production is likely to begin in March 2023 with an unveiling possibly being held the following month.

apple mixed reality headset mockup feature blue
Initial production is said to be very limited, with a high price point limiting Apple's first headset mainly to commercial markets.

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 said to be willing to work with Apple on the project to prove their technical capabilities so they will be well positioned for future AR/VR products. Apple's brand recognition also makes it easier for the firms to raise money in capital markets to fund their activities.

Apple has been working on augmented reality, virtual reality, and mixed reality headsets for a number of years, but has reportedly faced some development struggles that have slowed its progress. While earlier rumors had suggested Apple might show off the headset at some point during 2022, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in June that Apple would likely target a January 2023 introduction.

Today's report from DigiTimes may not necessarily significantly differ from Kuo's, as Kuo suggested that pre-orders would not begin until the second quarter of 2023 with shipments beginning by WWDC in June.

Consequently, both Kuo and ‌DigiTimes‌ appear to be citing similar time frames for mass production, with differences in expected introduction timing (January for Kuo and April for ‌DigiTimes‌) coming down to Apple's preference for how much lead time to give developers before the headset begins shipping.

Related Roundup: Apple Vision Pro
Buyer's Guide: Vision Pro (Buy Now)
Related Forum: Apple Vision Pro

Popular Stories

M5 MacBook Pro

Apple Announces New 14-Inch MacBook Pro With M5 Chip

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:07 am PDT by
Apple today updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro base model with its new M5 chip, which is also available in updated iPad Pro and Vision Pro models. In addition, the base 14-inch MacBook Pro can now be configured with up to 4TB of storage on Apple's online store, whereas the previous model maxed out at 2TB. However, the maximum amount of unified RAM available for this model remains 32GB. Like...
Apple iPad Pro hero M5

Apple Debuts New iPad Pro With M5 Chip, Faster Charging, and More

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:16 am PDT by
Apple today announced the next-generation iPad Pro, featuring the custom-designed M5, C1X, and N1 chips. The M5 chip has up to a 10-core CPU, with four performance cores and six efficiency cores. It features a next-generation GPU with Neural Accelerator in each core, allowing the new iPad Pro to deliver up to 3.5x the AI performance than the previous model, and a third-generation ray-tracing ...
apple oct 2024 mac tease

Apple Expected to Announce These Two to Three Products 'This Week'

Sunday October 12, 2025 7:05 am PDT by
Apple plans to announce new products "this week," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple's "Mac Your Calendars" teaser last October In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the products set to be updated this week include the iPad Pro, Vision Pro, and "likely" the base 14-inch MacBook Pro, with all three likely to receive a spec bump with Apple's next-generation M5 chip. Gurman...
maxresdefault

Here's Everything Apple Announced Today

Wednesday October 15, 2025 3:54 pm PDT by
We didn't get a second fall event this year, but Apple did unveil updated products with a series of press releases that went out today. The M5 chip made an appearance in new MacBook Pro, Vision Pro, and iPad Pro models. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. We've rounded up our coverage and highlighted the main feature changes for each device below. MacBook Pro M5...
joz macbook tease

Apple Teases Upcoming M5 MacBook Pro Launch: 'Something Powerful is Coming'

Tuesday October 14, 2025 11:59 am PDT by
Apple marketing chief Greg Joswiak today teased the launch of an upcoming product, saying "something powerful is coming" on social media. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. A short animation accompanying Joswiak's teaser reveals a brief glimpse of a MacBook Pro along with the words "coming soon." The shape of the MacBook Pro is a V, which is the Roman numeral...
airpods max 2024 colors

AirPods Max 2: Everything We Know So Far

Tuesday October 14, 2025 8:43 am PDT by
Apple's AirPods Max have now been available for almost five years, so what do we know about the second-generation version? According to Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the new AirPods Max will be lighter than the current ones, but exactly how much is as yet known. The current AirPods Max weigh 0.85 pounds (386.2 grams), excluding the charging case, making it one of the heavier...
Vision Pro M5 Announcement

Apple Updates Vision Pro With M5 Chip, Dual Knit Band, and 120Hz Support

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:14 am PDT by
Apple today updated the Vision Pro headset with its next-generation M5 chip for faster performance, and a more comfortable Dual Knit Band. The M5 chip has a 10-core CPU, a 10-core GPU with Neural Accelerators, and a 16-core Neural Engine, and we have confirmed the Vision Pro still has 16GB of RAM. With the M5 chip, the Vision Pro offers faster performance and longer battery life compared...
HomePod mini and Apple TV

Apple's Next Rumored Products: New HomePod Mini, Apple TV, and More

Thursday October 16, 2025 9:13 am PDT by
Apple on Wednesday updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro with its next-generation M5 chip, but previous rumors have indicated that the company still plans to announce at least a few additional products before the end of the year. The following Apple products have at one point been rumored to be updated in 2025, although it is unclear if the timeframe for any of them has...
macbook pro blue

Apple's M5 MacBook Pro Imminent: What to Expect

Tuesday October 14, 2025 4:35 pm PDT by
Apple is going to launch a new version of the MacBook Pro as soon as tomorrow, so we thought we'd go over what to expect from Apple's upcoming Mac. M5 Chip The MacBook Pro will be one of the first new devices to use the next-generation M5 chip, which will replace the M4 chip. The M5 is built on TSMC's more advanced 3-nanometer process, and it will bring speed and efficiency improvements. ...
MacBook Pro M5 Screen

New MacBook Pro Does Not Include a Charger in the Box in Europe

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:59 am PDT by
The new 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M5 chip does not include a charger in the box in European countries, including the U.K., Ireland, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Norway, and others, according to Apple's online store. In the U.S. and all other countries outside of Europe, the new MacBook Pro comes with Apple's 70W USB-C Power Adapter, but European customers miss out....

Top Rated Comments

ian87w Avatar
38 months ago
The rumor that keeps on going but never gives. :D
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mr. Dee Avatar
38 months ago
I was hoping to win the Power Ball so I could waste money on this. Sigh...
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kierkegaarden Avatar
38 months ago
A January event for this still makes sense — they need to get this in the hands of developers, so being available by the third quarter would work out to give developers time before WWDC.

I also think they are vastly underestimating interest in this product — guessing they will be backordered for many months.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DelayedGratificationGene Avatar
38 months ago
The importance of AR cannot be overstated as Tim has called AR “critical” to Apple. “Critical” means it’s of vital importance thst the product is a success. This is why it will be bigger than iPhone.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Born Again Avatar
38 months ago
“AR/VR sucks!! It’s a fad!!! Nobody wants this!! I get dizzy! Wahhh!!” - Macrumors user 2022

“Take my money Apple!!!” - Macrumors user 2023
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Nicky G Avatar
38 months ago
I might buy one.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)