Apple is reportedly fast-tracking the mass production of its highly anticipated Vision Pro headsets, with shipments scheduled to begin in the first week of January. This is ahead of the initially anticipated timeline, indicating Apple’s commitment to delivering its latest innovation to consumers promptly. The Vision Pro headsets are expected to hit stores by the end of January, creating a buzz among tech enthusiasts.
In parallel news, there are emerging reports suggesting that Apple is preparing to launch an updated model of its mixed reality (MR) device, the Vision Pro, in 2027. This upcoming version will feature RGB OLEDoS (Silicon-based OLED) technology, a significant advancement from the current WOLED (White OLED) with a color filter (CF) employed in the existing model. The introduction of RGB OLEDoS is expected to bring about notable improvements in brightness and color generation.
RGB OLEDoS technology, originally developed for military applications by the U.S. company eMagin and now under the umbrella of Samsung Display, represents a remarkable leap in display technology. It generates light and color directly from adjacent RGB sub-pixels on a single layer, eliminating the need for a color filter. This results in significantly enhanced brightness compared to the current WOLED CF OLEDoS technology.
Market research firm Omdia sheds light on the challenges faced by companies involved in the production of WOLED CF OLEDoS, such as Sony, including low yield and capacity. Sony’s OLEDoS production, for instance, has a yield of less than 50%. In contrast, although RGB OLEDoS production is not yet widespread, it offers a brighter and more efficient display technology.
In the competitive landscape, Meta (formerly Facebook) is striving to rival Apple’s Vision Pro headset. However, despite Meta exploring various display technologies for its XR devices, including LCoS, OLEDoS, and LEDoS, its current offering, the Quest, falls short of matching the capabilities of Apple’s Vision Pro. This suggests that Meta’s journey toward competitive MR technology may take longer, potentially placing them behind Apple in spatial computing advancements.
Samsung, another significant player in the XR headset market, is also working on its versions. However, they are not expected to directly compete with Apple’s Vision Pro in the immediate future, highlighting Apple’s leading position in the MR technology space. With the accelerated production of the Vision Pro headsets and the upcoming launch of an upgraded model, Apple continues to push the boundaries of innovation in the augmented reality and mixed reality market.
