The highly rumored Apple MR/VR/AR headset could arrive with a monthly subscription service, that is according to a new analysis.
In a new report by Trendforce analyzing the increasing sales of VR/AR devices, the company states that due to strong shipments of Oculus and Microsoft VR/AR products, Apple will be forced to “join the competition this year” and release a similar product with a very high price alongside a monthly subscription:
“Strong shipments of Oculus and Microsoft products will likely force Apple to release relevant products to join the competition this year. However, TrendForce states, considering hardware performance requirements and gross profit margins, Apple will likely target the commercial market and adopt the same pricing strategy as HoloLens, hardware priced in the thousands of dollars and a monthly subscription-based software solution. Overall, TrendForce believes that the launch of new products this year by Apple, Meta, and Sony may be delayed and will not add significant growth to the overall AR/VR market for the time being.”
The Apple MR headset has been rumored time and time again that it will be at a fairly high price ”“ $1,000-$3,000 at the most. However, this is the first time we hear that a monthly subscription will tag along with the heavily priced headset.
No one is really sure what specific service will the company add to the headset as the product will primarily focus on gaming, media consumption, and communication. The Cupertino-based giant currently offers the Apple One subscription that bundles the numerous services it owns such as iCloud and Apple Music.
Apple did accidentally reveal the name of the software that the product will run on “realityOS” which will also feature an App Store. The code showing the name was spotted by a developer.
In other news, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman reported that the headset will likely use Memojis to perform FaceTime and SharePlay calls, as it is impossible for a user to make video calls while having a headset covering their face.
Finally, Gurman also reported that the headset was set to launch this year but due to development challenges in overheating, cameras, and software, the product will be delayed to 2023.
