We have received tons of rumors concerning Apple’s future AR/VR headset in the last couple of months. Most of these mention possible features and launch dates, but the latest buzz doesn’t seem as exciting.

The latest information about Apple’s new AR/VR headset isn’t as great as previous rumors. According to Trendforce analysts, Cupertino’s new product may arrive with a monthly subscription. This doesn’t seem so bad, but you must also remember that they have constantly been predicted to come with a relatively high price tag that ranges from $1,000 to $3,000.

Trendforce also claims that the commercial market for AR and VR headsets is dominated by the HoloLens 2. Further, it is also expecting strong Oculus and Microsoft devices shipments, which “will likely force Apple to release relevant products to join the competition this year.”

“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.”

In other words, Apple’s new AR/VR headset may require a monthly software subscription to work to its full potential. Of course, Apple’s competition already has some subscriptions, but these usually come from third-party apps. We will have to see how Apple deals with this situation, as the company usually focuses on its consumers. In contrast, the HoloLens 2 targets industry and commercial users. But then again, Apple may also choose to target the same market.

Source: Trendforce