Apple's Mixed-Reality Headset Now Said to Be in 'Final Sprint' and 'Delivery Stage' Ahead of WWDC

Apple's mixed-reality headset is now in the "final sprint" and "supply chain delivery stage," Taiwan's Economic Daily News reports.

apple headset lens render by marcus kaneApple headset concept render by Marcus Kane.

GIS, a subsidiary of Foxconn, is apparently included in the device's supply chain to provide lens lamination. GIS already laminates iPad displays for Apple and boasts a high yield rate. Until now, Foxconn was thought to have been excluded from the headset's supply chain, with China's Luxshare serving as the sole assembler.

GIS is believed to be operating a dedicated production line for the headset's lens lamination at a plant in Chengdu, China. In line with other reports, the supplier's production line mobilization schedule indicates that Apple's mixed-reality headset will be unveiled at WWDC in June as expected, before launching sometime in the following months. GIS has publicly said that it will begin shipping metaverse-adjacent devices to customers in the second quarter of 2023, which runs from April to June.

GIS's involvement apparently lays the groundwork for Foxconn to participate more widely in the second-generation Apple headset's supply chain. In February, it was reported that Foxconn is hoping to supply the cheaper model in Apple's second-generation headset lineup.

Related Roundup: AR/VR Headset

Top Rated Comments

iamgalt Avatar
5 weeks ago
I'm just happy to see a different render than the horrible ski goggles. :)
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dmr727 Avatar
5 weeks ago
I'm really friggin' tired of hearing rumors and seeing the mockups of this thing - WWDC can't come soon enough so we can finally transition to complaining about the real thing!
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
citysnaps Avatar
5 weeks ago

This might go well, but I'm not sure. I'm definitely not buying though, way out of my budget ;w;
I wouldn't latch too strongly on the rumored $3K price. That's just a speculative number tossed out by a tech journalist with an imperfect track record.

Many people love to cling to that number as it's an easy entry point into giving Apple a good bash and a reason to call it a flop. Even though it's based on essentially nothing.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TracerAnalog Avatar
5 weeks ago

This is gonna crush their stock. The fundamental flaw in these headsets is that it blocks off vision. Nobody wants to have their vision blocked off.
What are you talking about? Of course! VR needs to block your eye sight to get full immersion. However, the AR functionality will likely have a ‘transparency’ mode, akin to what the Airpods Pro have. And with that enabled, you will see your surroundings overlayed with artificial elements. For anyone expecting to walk around with these as if they are regular glasses: we are several years away from that.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mozumder Avatar
5 weeks ago
This is gonna crush their stock. The fundamental flaw in these headsets is that it blocks off vision. Nobody wants to have their vision blocked off.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple_Robert Avatar
5 weeks ago

This will definitely come with some sort of xxx-gate. Vision/Blur Gate?
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)