Apple has yet to start testing the second prototype of its long-waited AR glasses, bucking the expectations of its supply partners who expected testing to commence in the first quarter of this year.

Apple is known to be working hard on a set of augmented reality glasses that look like regular glasses, but which feature lenses with built-in displays that can be interacted with using gestures. The current prototype is said to resemble high-end sunglasses with thick frames that house the battery and chips.

It has been said that Apple was about to enter the second phase of development of the glasses, with a focus on improving the device’s weight and battery life, suggesting they could move into volume production as early as the first quarter of 2022.

A new report claims that P2 testing has yet to begin, therefore the chance of volume production in Q1 2022 is now unlikely.

The sources pointed out that after P2, the AR glasses prototype may still need to go through P3 testing, followed by another 2-3 phases of engineering testing before standing a chance of entering volume production.

The supply chain originally estimated that the Apple wearable could start volume production as early as first-quarter 2022, the sources said. But as the P2 testing has yet to begin, the chance of volume production in first-quarter 2022 is looking unlikely, the sources added.

A report in January described the glasses as “several years away,” though Apple had initially been planning to release them as early as 2023. A previous report suggested that the AR glasses will launch in 2021, and Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo expects a 2022 launch at the earliest.