Apple's upcoming AR/VR headset designed for shorter sessions, not an all-day device
Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) is widely expected to launch an AR/VR headset later this year, but it's not expected to be tied to the metaverse, as it is likely to be used for shorter sessions of gaming and content consumption, Bloomberg reports.
According to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, Apple's (AAPL) headwear, which could be released in the second-half of the year, is likely to be used for âbursts of gaming, communication, and content consumption.â

Unlike Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:FB) and others, which have focused on the metaverse, Gurman said he was "told pretty directly that the idea of a completely virtual world where users can escape to â like they can in Meta Platforms/Facebookâs vision of the future â is off limits from Apple.â
Apple (AAPL) shares are down slightly more than 1% to $170.04 on Monday and have fallen more than 5% over the past month.
The world's largest company, at just under $3 trillion in market cap, has been giving some of its top engineers working on AR up to $180,000 in stock options to keep them from defecting to competitors, such as Meta's Facebook.

Separately on Monday, Apple (AAPL) said that it has paid developers more than $260 billion since the invention of the App Store in 20078, up from $200 billion it reported last year. Additionally, it said it has more than 745 million paid subscriptions, while the App Store had a set a record for digital goods and services sales in 2021, aided by double digit revenue growth from App Store between Christmas Eve and New Yearâs Eve.
The Apple (AAPL) headset could have the same computing power as a Mac and would be independent of an iPhone, which would be a change from the first version of the Apple Watch.

Although Apple's (AAPL) AR/VR headset could be unveiled in the second half of this year, the tech giant is already working on the second-version of the device, which could be unveiled as soon as 2024.