Apple’s mixed reality headset will be the company’s most complex hardware product ever, with its unique curved design presenting unprecedented production challenges, according to The Information. The headset is expected to be released at WWDC 2023 on June 5 and will cost about $3,000 (currently about RMB 21,240).
The headset is said to have an “unconventional curved design, ultra-thin and ultra-light”, and several renders seen by The Information “show a curved piece of glass with a smooth aluminum frame wrapped around the edges that looks slightly thicker than an iPhone “. Because of the thin profile, users who need to wear glasses must purchase prescription lenses that magnetically attach to the headset.
To accommodate the curved housing of the headset, Apple had to develop a first-of-its-kind “curved motherboard”. To enhance the structure without adding weight, carbon fiber is used inside the headset. A small knob above the right eye allows the user to switch between augmented reality and virtual reality, and a power button above the left eye. A circular connector similar to the Apple Watch charger is attached to the left side of the headset’s mirror leg and connected via a cable to a battery pack worn at the waist.
The headband of the headset is primarily made of soft material and is attached to two short, rigid temple sections that also contain left and right speakers. To improve the wearer’s facial comfort, the rear of the headset also has a soft, removable cover.
Apple is reported to have discussed whether to add more eye-tracking cameras or further adjust the motorized lenses to accommodate more face shapes. Apple’s industrial design team apparently advocated having the front of the headset made of a thin piece of curved glass, which would require a dozen cameras and sensors to be hidden for aesthetic reasons. But this has raised some concerns, such as the glass distorting the image captured by the camera, which if left uncorrected could lead to nausea for the wearer; and because of the shape of the glass, it is more prone to shattering than an iPhone screen, which could lead to the headset fragments hurting the user.
This design is said to be the main reason for the device’s high retail price of $3,000. Because of its special shape and dense arrangement of electronic components, it is difficult for assembly workers to operate and install components inside the device, and testing of the glass housing and camera takes longer than other Apple devices. In addition, the microOLED display used in the headset was so expensive that Apple had to fix the defective unit rather than just discard it. Sony, the supplier of the display, may have trouble producing enough panels this year because of the size and pixel density of those displays, and Apple is expected to ship fewer than 250,000 head units this year.
Apple is also having trouble manufacturing prototype head units because of their overly complex design. In the early stages of development, Apple could build 100 headsets a day, but only 20 met the company’s standards. In mid-April, the headset underwent design verification testing, and it reportedly stayed in this phase much longer than more mature products such as the iPhone. Apple is even reported to have made some very late design tweaks in April to make it easier to produce.
While mass production of the headset has not yet begun, its sole manufacturer, Lixin Precision, has reportedly told workers that the factory that will make the headset must be fully staffed by July. The Information takes this to mean that the headset will likely be available in the fall or winter, with fewer than 500,000 units expected to be shipped in its first year on the market.
