There have been a lot of rumors and buzz around Apple’s upcoming mixed reality headsets. Mark Gurman, in his Power On newsletter for Bloomberg, says that Apple could officially announce its headset in 2022 but may ship it late next year or even in 2023.

Rumors suggest that Apple has three major projects in the pipeline – a mixed virtual and augmented reality headset, augmented reality glasses, and a self-driving car. Gurman predicts that the roll out of these products could mark a change in Apple’s typical launch strategy.

Usually, Apple is known to announce a new product just before it hits the shelves a few days later. However, when the tech firm launches a novel product in a brand new category, it makes customers wait for its release. For instance, the Apple Watch was rolled out 227 days after it was announced, on April 24, 2015.

Gurman suggests that Apple’s headset could also follow suit with a delayed launch.

Apple’s first headset will have a complex, expensive-to-build design, complete with interchangeable lenses. The company will likely need to work with governments globally on possible prescription lenses and partner with a bevy of manufacturers on complex technologies that neither side has shipped before.

He goes on to say that this process will take quite a while and potentially expose it to leaks. The Cupertino-based company could utilize the delay between launch and release of its headset to gather more publicity. Apple could announce the headset at the 2022 WWDC, push for AR and VR app development, and finally launch the product in 2023.

Last month, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo made similar claims. He said that the company may not start the mass production of its AR/VR headset until the end of 2022. Earlier this year, it was reported that Apple’s AR/VR headset could feature two 8K displays and even feature eye-tracking. Another report suggested that its mixed reality headset could be expensive and heavy.

What do you think of the potential delay in the launch of Apple’s headset? Let us know in the comments.