Prominent Apple insider Ming-Chi Kuo has stated that January 2023 will see the release of Apple’s rumoured VR/AR headset.

Although Apple haven’t made any official comment on the rumoured headset, Apple CEO Tim Cook recently told China Daily USA to stay tuned for news on what the company has planned. This statement from Kuo gives us the clearest glimpse yet on what Apple have planned for the VR space.

“Although Apple has repeatedly reiterated its focus on AR, I believe Apple AR/MR supporting video see-thru could also offer an excellent immersive experience. Therefore, the launch of Apple AR/MR will further boost the demand for immersive gaming/multimedia entertainment,” Kuo stated in a Medium post.

Kuo also stated that the headset is set to be “the most complicated product Apple has ever designed” and “a game-changer for the headset industry.”

"Apple's global rivals will compete to imitate it"

Kuo also spoke about Apple’s absence from the Metaverse Standards Forum, announced last week, claiming that “Apple is an industry leader with significant competitive advantages and doesn’t need to join the Metaverse Standards Forum now.” However, he did state that the establishment of the forum favors industry growth.

He also stated that “After Apple launches AR/MR headset, I think Apple’s global rivals will compete to imitate it, leading the headset hardware industry to the next stage of rapid growth and benefiting the related services and content ecosystem.”

Kuo stated that the slowdown in VR hardware investment by Meta is beneficial to other existing brands, such as Sony and Valve. However, he claimed that the strategy of selling headsets at a loss was unsustainable in the current business environment, and would benefit other existing VR brands.

Earlier this month, we reported that Apple is under investigation by Germany’s cartel office, which is investigating whether the company’s tracking of third-party apps gives them an unfair advantage or hinders competitors.