In a new extensive report, reputed Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has revealed Apple’s plan of releasing next-generation augmented reality and virtual reality headsets.
Building on the previous reports of Apple AR/VR headset launching in 2022, Kuo, today, has revealed Apple’s plan of launching long-rumored mixed reality headsets. In an investor note, reported by MacRumors, Kuo claims that Apple will announce its mixed reality headset “in mid-2022” and an augmented reality glasses in 2025.
Kuo says that Apple’s mixed reality headset will have three phases. The company plans to launch a ‘helmet type’ prototype by 2022, a glass type by 2025, and a contact lens-based mixed reality headset by 2030-2040. He says that the helmet-type product will focus more on AR and VR experiences whereas glass-based and contact lens-based will focus more only on AR applications.
He says that the current prototype of the mixed reality headset weighs 200-300 grams, but he claims that Apple is targeting a 100-200 gram weight for the final product. Writing more about the details, he says that the 2022 mixed reality headset will retail around a price tag of $1000.
Adding on to his previous reports of mixed reality headset featuring 8K displays, Kuo says the final product will feature Sony Micro-OLED displays, and several optical modules to provide a “see-through AR experience.”
“Although Apple has been focusing on AR, we think the hardware specifications of this product can provide an immersive experience that is significantly better than existing VR products. We believe that Apple may highly integrate this helmet with video-related applications.”
Moreover, Kuo says that there’s no prototype of the 2025 headset right now. He says that the 2025 augmented reality headset will provide an “optical see-through AR experience.” Kuo believes that this product will be positioned more as a ‘mobile’ product than a mixed reality headset.
“While the helmet provides a great immersive experience, the glasses focus more on providing a ‘mobile + AR’ experience.”
Kuo says that Apple is ‘looking forward’ to integrate these headsets with Apple Car. Kuo says that Apple will foray into “invisible computing” in 2030, with the launch of “contact lenses.” He says that these contact lenses are “unlikely to have independent computing power and storage.” Kuo says that Apple is ‘too committed’ to the augmented reality space, and we’ll start seeing products from the company in this space as soon as next year.
What are your thoughts on Apple’s Mixed Reality headset? What features would you like to see on it? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
