Sources say Apple’s AR/VR headset is no longer just a prototype

According to a new report from DigiTimes, citing component suppliers, Apple’s mixed reality headset has gone beyond prototype and is moving into production. DigiTimes claims that Apple has already conducted “phase two engineering review and testing (EVT 2)”for the headset.

“EVT 2″is a milestone on Apple’s journey to manufacturing. The company starts with prototypes before moving on to the first phase of EVT (Verification Engineering Testing). “EVT 2″indicates that this is the second stage of testing the device in this stage.

The report claims that the headset will go into mass production in August or September and that Apple still plans to launch the product in 2022. Recently, there have been conflicting reports about the timing of the launch of Apple’s first mixed reality headset. Apple reportedly originally planned for a 2019 launch, but has delayed that launch several times.

Last year, several reliable sources reported that the headset would arrive in 2022, but Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman recently warned that the device could be delayed until 2023.

Over the past few years, Gurman has been very good at predicting Apple announcements and products. But it doesn’t always accurately predict the timing of those ads and products. The same is sometimes true of Ming-Chi Kuo’s analysis.

Components supply chain sources like those cited by DigiTimes often have some idea of ​​what Apple is working on, but they also usually don’t have the full picture. So this report is not a solid confirmation that the device will be ready to go this fall. However, this is a good sign.

This first headset is said to have very high specs such as 4K displays, multiple precision sensors, or silicon equivalent to the M1 Pro or M1 Max chips found in the latest MacBook Pros. The headset is likely to be used for professional applications and will help app developers get started on some kind of immersive experience that could draw users to a more mainstream product in the future.