Ming-Chi Kuo has been busy. The well-respected Apple industry analyst has predicted a 2020 release for a new iPad Pro boasting a rear-facing 3D Time of Flight camera and new MacBooks during the first quarter of 2020. No comes a prediction for Apple’s rumored augmented reality headset..
Kuo says the headset could enter mass production as soon as the fourth quarter of this year, in time for launch in early 2020.
In a research note with TF International Securities, the analyst says Apple will cooperate with third-party brands to launch its first head-mounted AR product in 2020. Changying Precision is said to be the main chassis supplier.
Back in March, Kuo predicted Apple would launch an AR-related product in 2020, likely sometime in the middle of the year. Now, Kuo has moved up his predicted timeframe for release, saying he now believes the launch window for the product is the second quarter of 2020.
While previous reports had indicated Apple has suspended its AR headset project. However, code found in iOS 13 and Xcode 11 showed Apple is still working on some type of an augmented reality headset.
Kuo says the Apple AR glasses will be marketed as an iPhone accessory, primarily acting as a display, offloading the processing, networking, and other tasks to the iPhone.
The glasses acting as an iPhone accessory should allow them to be slim and lightweight, instead of needing to pack processing hardware into the device.
Kup also mentions the 2020 iPhone in today’s note, emphasizing a previous prediction that the most important upgrade to the 5G 2020 iPhone will be its metal mid-frame/chassis.
(Via MacRumors)
