The colorful image Apple used Wednesday to invite developers to WWDC23 set off speculation that it’s a hint that the company’s long-awaited VR/AR headset will be unveiled at the June event.
It’s not impossible — Apple dropped a major hint into the invitation to the iPhone 14 launch event.
Apple VR/AR headset could launch at WWDC23
A stream of leaks in recent months leaves little room for doubt that Apple is about to introduce a mixed-reality headset. It even reportedly showed off the device to 100 high-level Apple executives last week.
The only question is when. WWDC23 is a strong possibility as the device will run a new operating system, xrOS, which devs will need to learn to write apps for.
Is it a rainbow or a hint?
The image in the invitation to Apple’s upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference looks a bit like a rainbow. The obvious guess is that it’s a representation of the rainbow stage at Apple Park in Cupertino.
But others went looking for different interpretations.
The developers of the Halide camera app took to Twitter to say, “the WWDC invite resembles what is called a pancake lens array (🥞yum!), which is often used in… VR goggles.”
Specifically, the WWDC invite resembles what is called a pancake lens array (yum!), which is often used in… VR goggles. pic.twitter.com/TlVhat2cAr
— Halide (@halidecamera) March 29, 2023
Concept artist Ian Zelbo said this of the rainbow image: “I don’t want to speculate too much but that looks like a top view of the headset.”
Their guesses aren’t out of line, considering Apple used its event invitation images to drop hints before. Many people guessed the star-filled invitation to the September 2022 Far Out event was a reference to the satellite communication capabilities coming to the iPhone 14 series. And that is exactly what happened.
That said, Apple certainly doesn’t have to use its event invites to drop hints. There have been plenty of times the iPhone-maker didn’t do any such thing.
We’ll know for sure, one way or another, on June 5 during the WWDC23 keynote.
