Apple's AR/VR Headset: Watch For These Updates At WWDC Next Week

As Apple, Inc.'s (NASDAQ: AAPL) reality headset launch timeline polarizes people, Bloomberg columnist Mark Gurman has reiterated his view that neither the hardware nor the reality operating system would be announced at next week's annual Worldwide Developers Conference.

Gurman, who is known to be fairly accurate with his Apple predictions, said new frameworks, video codecs and metal upgrades geared toward the device could make their appearances. A video codec is a software or hardware that compresses and decompressed digital video.

The Apple specialist had said in mid-May that executives previewed the MR headset to the company's board and he took this as a signal that the product is in advanced stages of development.

Gurman believes Apple will unveil its next-big hardware product either at the end of this year or the next, with a broader consumer launch likely in 2023.

Related Link: Predicted Features Of Apple's iOS 16 Ahead Of Unveiling At WWDC

Apple is also working on stand-alone AR glasses, codenamed N421, and this could be released later this decade, the columnist had said earlier.

Ming-Chi Ku, an analyst at TFI International Securities, echoed a similar sentiment in a recent tweet. The analyst said he does not expect Apple to release the AR/VR headset or the reality OS at WWDC. Kuo suggested that any details shared by Apple regarding the two could be used to spawn copycat versions.

Loup Funds' Gene Munster has a 2023 or 2024 launch timeline estimate for the device.

Price Action: In premarket trading on Thursday, Apple shares were rising 0.41% to $149.32, according to Benzinga Pro data.