Provide chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims to know Apple’s headset and glasses product plans for the following 3 years.
Ming-Chi Kuo has been reporting on Apple’s provide chain for greater than 10 years. Whereas a lot of his claims find yourself no less than partially true, it is vital to notice that others do not.
This is what Kuo claims is in retailer from Apple over the following 3 years:
M5 Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional (2025)
In September final yr, Kuo reported that Apple was set to start mass manufacturing of a refreshed Imaginative and prescient Professional with an M5 chipset within the second half of 2025. The refreshed headset would in any other case “principally keep the identical”, he stated on the time.
Kuo’s new report reiterates these claims, explicitly stating that “different specs stay unchanged”, apart from the chipset.
The present Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional makes use of Apple’s M2 chipset. Imaginative and prescient Professional’s launch was reportedly considerably delayed from Apple’s authentic meant timeline. By the point it launched, Macs utilizing the newer M3 chip had already been transport for months, and simply three months later the brand new iPad Professional with the M4 chip was launched.
The M5 chip hasn’t but been introduced, however Apple claims M4 has a 50% extra highly effective CPU and 4 instances extra highly effective GPU than M2, suggesting the M5 Imaginative and prescient Professional might ship an exceptional efficiency enhance.
Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional 2 Reportedly Cheaper & Lighter, Mac-Tethered Headset Coming Too
Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional 2 can be cheaper and lighter, not only a chip improve, and the corporate is engaged on a Mac-tethered headset too, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman studies.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has additionally reported on Apple’s plans for an M5 Imaginative and prescient Professional, subsequent to Kuo’s authentic declare. However opposite to Kuo’s description of a easy chip improve, in April Gurman stated that Apple is “seeking to go additional”, with a lighter design and cheaper pricepoint.
Nevertheless, Gurman did not go into specifics about precisely how a lot lighter the headset must be, nor did he give an estimated value.
Apple Imaginative and prescient Air (2027)
Apple’s resolution to name its first headset “Imaginative and prescient Professional” strongly hints that it plans a extra reasonably priced product line sooner or later. Kuo, The Info, Mark Gurman, and different sources have claimed to have data of those plans in recent times, although a few of these studies have contradicted one another.
Kuo’s newest report claims that mass manufacturing of a headset he calls Apple Imaginative and prescient Air ought to start within the second half of 2027, a modified place from his November report the place he prompt it was delayed “past 2027”.
In accordance with Kuo, Apple Imaginative and prescient Air can be over 40% lighter than at present’s Imaginative and prescient Professional, and have a “considerably cheaper price level”.
He claims that this weight and value discount can be achieved, no less than partially, through the use of A-series chipset (particularly, the one additionally set for use within the iPhone 19 Professional), fewer sensors, plastic as a substitute of glass, and magnesium as a substitute of aluminum.
Cheaper Apple Imaginative and prescient May Use iPhone Chip And Lack EyeSight
Apple’s in-development extra reasonably priced Imaginative and prescient headset might use an A-series chipset and lack EyeSight.
These particulars line up with what Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has beforehand reported. Earlier than Imaginative and prescient Professional was even revealed, Gurman reported that Apple was engaged on a less expensive mannequin with an A-series chip, and he later stated that it is “doubtless” to not have the EyeSight lenticular show, which Imaginative and prescient Professional makes use of to indicate a rendered model of your eyes to individuals close by.
All-New Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional (2028)
Whereas Kuo means that the near-term Imaginative and prescient Professional refresh can be merely a chipset bump, he additionally says that Apple plans a very subsequent technology Imaginative and prescient Professional successor for late 2028.
In accordance with Kuo’s report, this all-new Imaginative and prescient Professional will proceed to make use of an M-series chipset, and likewise function “a completely new design” that is “considerably lighter”, whereas nonetheless having a cheaper price than at present’s Imaginative and prescient Professional.
Sensible Glasses (2027)
For round 8 months now, Mark Gurman has described Apple’s plans to launch a direct competitor to the Ray-Ban Meta glasses.
Gurman has stated that Apple’s good glasses could have cameras, microphones and audio system, and be used for telephone calls, music playback, stay translations, turn-by-turn instructions, and multimodal AI, which Apple calls Visible Intelligence, all powered by a brand new Apple-designed chipset, primarily based on the extremely environment friendly S-series chips utilized in Apple Watch.
Gurman initially stated that Apple deliberate the glasses for 2027, however in Could stated that Apple is “ramping up work”, hoping to ship in late 2026.
Apple Sensible Glasses Reportedly Set To Launch In Late 2026
Apple plans to launch its competitor to the Ray-Ban Meta glasses in late 2026, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman studies.
Nevertheless, Ming-Chi Kuo’s new report claims that mass manufacturing will not start till mid-2027, contradicting Gurman’s current reporting.
In accordance with Kuo, Apple’s suppliers venture element shipments adequate for 3-5 million items in 2027.
Ray-Ban Meta Glasses Have Bought 2 Million Items, Manufacturing To Be Vastly Elevated
Ray-Ban Meta glasses have offered 2 million items up to now, and the annual manufacturing capability is being elevated to 10 million by the tip of 2026.
For comparability, the Ray-Ban Meta glasses had offered 2 million items as of February, and Ray-Ban’s proprietor EssilorLuxottica plans to extend its annual manufacturing capability to 10 million by the tip of 2026.
Show Glasses (On Pause)
In January, Gurman reported that Apple had canceled AR show glasses that might have required a connection to a Mac.
In accordance with Gurman’s report, the unique plan was truly for these AR glasses to be powered by your iPhone, however in observe the telephone could not present sufficient processing energy, and it “affected” the telephone’s battery life an excessive amount of. So Apple then pivoted to powering it by way of a Mac, however the glasses “carried out poorly throughout critiques with executives”, resulting in the cancelation.
Apple Reportedly Cancels Mac-Related AR Glasses
Apple has canceled AR show glasses that might have required a Mac (or initially, Apple had hoped, your iPhone), Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman studies.
Kuo’s new report additionally describes these show glasses, and explicitly states that they’d have used Xreal-like birdbath optics with electrochromatic dimming.
Nevertheless, Kuo describes them as “paused” relatively than totally canceled, claiming they’re “at the moment underneath assessment for repositioning and specification refinement”, and may very well be restarted.
True AR Glasses (2028)
In fact, the holy grail for corporations like Apple and Meta is to launch mass-market true AR glasses, which means comparatively skinny and lightweight glasses you can put on all through your day by day life that may conjure digital interfaces and objects within the bodily world.
Earlier this yr, Mark Gurman claimed that Tim Cook dinner is “hell-bent” on releasing “industry-leading” AR glasses earlier than Meta, citing sources claiming that Cook dinner “cares about nothing else” and that they’re “the one factor he’s actually spending his time on from a product growth standpoint”.
However Gurman additionally famous that it’ll take “a few years” for Apple’s AR glasses to be prepared, saying in January that executives do not count on a product launch till 2028 on the absolute earliest.
Apple Is Nonetheless Working On MicroLED Shows For AR Glasses
Apple is reportedly nonetheless growing microLED shows for AR glasses, however an precise product received’t be prepared till 2028 on the earliest.
Now, Kuo claims that Apple plans mass manufacturing in late 2028, utilizing LCoS shows with waveguides.
LCoS shows are primarily LCD microdisplays. They have been utilized in many AR gadgets to this point, together with the unique HoloLens, each Magic Leap headsets, and the most recent Snap Spectacles growth package. Meta additionally plans to make use of LCoS for its first AR glasses, that are reportedly deliberate for 2027.
(HoloLens 2 used a know-how known as laser beam scanning (LBS) as a substitute, which the corporate hoped would show superior, however truly delivered important visible artifacts.)
Kuo says Apple additionally has one other true AR glasses mannequin in growth “with later manufacturing timeline and decrease visibility”. Whereas he would not develop on what this would possibly imply, in January Gurman reported that Apple has a workforce at a “secretive facility” growing microLED shows meant for AR glasses.
MicroLED is, in concept no less than, the best show system for AR glasses, with very excessive effectivity that may provide excessive brightness with low energy attract a compact kind issue, in addition to wonderful picture high quality. However no firm has but discovered the way to mass produce it at excessive density, with preliminary microLED glasses from Chinese language corporations providing a decision of solely round 480p.
If Kuo is to be believed, Apple’s solely near-term plan for headsets and glasses is to refresh Imaginative and prescient Professional with an M5 chip, and the corporate has no product plans for 2026.
Come 2027 although, in line with Kuo, Apple goals to ship a considerably cheaper and lighter Apple Imaginative and prescient Air, alongside a Ray-Ban Meta good glasses competitor built-in with the Apple ecosystem.
Past that, Kuo claims Apple will ship a very subsequent technology Imaginative and prescient Professional in 2028, alongside its first true AR glasses.
As all the time although, we should always warning that Kuo isn’t all the time correct. Additional, a few of his new claims contradict his personal, in addition to the reporting of others like Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. Whereas it is fascinating to contemplate what Kuo is saying, it must be learn extra as a sign of Apple’s common course, primarily based on its conversations with its suppliers, relatively than a concrete timeline for particular merchandise.
