Wang Xuehong exposed the release time of Apple head Show: it will be launched as soon as this year, which will benefit HTC.

Beijing, March 6 (Xinhua)-- HTC CEO and Chairman Wang Xuehong said in an interview that Apple will launch its own hybrid reality headset as soon as the middle of this year, but she is not worried about the competition. In the early days of smartphones, HTC was successful with Android phones.

Wang Xuehong said in an interview at Mobile World Congress that Apple is likely to launch a hybrid reality product "soon", possibly as soon as this year. Hybrid reality refers to the technology that combines the physical world with the digital world.

"I think the earliest release date may be the middle or later of this year." Wang Xuehong said. She added that Apple might give priority to mixed reality headsets rather than augmented reality glasses.

Apple usually begins to dabble in a particular product trend or feature long after other companies. For example, iPhone didn't launch a dual-lens camera until 2017, while HTC launched a HTC One M8 phone with dual cameras in 2014. HTC sold its smartphone business to Google for $1.1 billion in 2018.

"Apple is always more cautious," Wang Xuehong pointed out. I think the market is big enough now that they may enter. But Apple's entry means that the HTC will face more competition. Last October, Meta, the parent company of Facebook, launched a $1500 Quest Pro device. Users can interact with full-color virtual objects in the surrounding world through the device. Last week, a Samsung executive said the company was "developing" its hybrid reality strategy. In addition, Microsoft also has its own mixed reality HoloLens. Xiaomi released a prototype of augmented reality glasses last Monday.

In the second quarter of 2022, more than 100000 HTC XR (augmented reality) devices were shipped, up 158 per cent from 40,000 in the same period last year, according to market research firm Counterpoint Research. However, its market share is still relatively small.

Wang Xuehong believes that actions by Apple, Meta, Samsung and others in this area will promote the overall popularity of hybrid reality devices, which will benefit HTC. "it really proves that we are going in the right direction," she said. "Competition is always good."

Apple has yet to comment.