Apple will release its second-generation AR/VR headset in 2025 and it will be available in two high-end and low-end models, says Apple industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
Writing in a new post on Medium, Kuo says he expects both models to hit shelves in 2025:
Apple’s second-generation AR/MR headset has two high-end and low-end models. The high-end and low-end will be developed and produced by Luxcaseict and Foxconn, respectively. The current launch schedule for both models will likely be in 2025.
Apple’s much-rumored AR/VR headset has been officially announced, but we’ve seen reports claiming that the company’s largest manufacturing partner Foxconn is already working on a more-economical second-generation version of the headset.
Kuo says that the high-end AR/VR headset will be produced by Luxcaseict, a joint venture between Luxshare and Pegatron. The lower-end model will be produced by Foxconn.
Apple’s first headset is expected to be quite expensive, with pricing estimates ranging from $3,000 to $5,000. The second-generation headset referred to by Kuo is expected to have a more affordable price, more in the neighborhood of “a high-end Mac computer.” If Kuo’s comments are accurate, Apple is planning a two-tiered series of the second-generation device to appeal to a wider customer base, much like how it offers both budget and premium-priced iPhones.
Kuo says that Pegatron is gradually withdrawing from Apple’s headset business, and will likely transfer its AR/MR development team and production resources to Luxcaseict (a joint venture between Luxshare ICT and Pegatron), led by Luxshare ICT, in the first half of 2023.
Such changes will lead to “the subsequent acceleration of reducing the cost of the headset, which is what Apple expects,” adds Kuo.
Apple’s first headset is expected to be announced at WWDC in June. The headset is expected to sport more than a dozen cameras, dual 4K lenses, advanced eye and hand tracking, and many other advanced features.
