Provide chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims to know Apple’s product plans for headsets and glasses for the subsequent three years.
Ming-chi Kuo has been reporting on Apple’s provide chain for over 10 years. Whereas lots of his claims are at the very least partially true, it is very important notice that others don’t.
That is what Kuo claims to be utilizing from Apple over the subsequent three years.
M5 Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional (2025)
Final September, Kuo reported that Apple plans to start out mass manufacturing of Refresh Imaginative and prescient Professional with the M5 chipset within the second half of 2025. In any other case, the refreshed headset will “behave roughly the identical.”
A brand new report from Kuo repeats these claims, explicitly saying that “different specs is not going to change” moreover the chipset.
The present Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional makes use of Apple’s M2 chipset. The discharge of the Imaginative and prescient Professional reportedly was considerably delayed from Apple’s unique supposed timeline. By the point it was launched, Macs utilizing the brand new M3 chip had already been shipped for a number of months, however simply three months later the brand new iPad Professional was launched with the M4 chip.
The M5 chip has not but been introduced, however Apple claims that the M4 has a 50% stronger CPU and 4 occasions extra highly effective GPU than the M2, suggesting that the M5 Imaginative and prescient Professional can herald unbelievable efficiency enhancements.
Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional 2 additionally brings out the reportedly low-cost and lightweight Mac-Tethered Headset
The Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional 2 isn’t solely chip upgrades, but additionally cheaper and lighter, and the corporate is engaged on Mac-Tether headsets, stories Markgerman of Bloomberg.
Bloomberg’s Mark Garman additionally stories on plans for Apple’s M5 Imaginative and prescient Professional, following Kuo’s unique claims. However opposite to Kuo’s easy chip improve clarification, Gurman in April stated Apple is “going additional” with a lighter design and cheaper value factors.
Nevertheless, Garman did not go into particulars about how gentle the headset needs to be, nor did he give it an estimated value.
Apple Imaginative and prescient Air (2027)
Apple’s determination to name its first headset, the Imaginative and prescient Professional, strongly means that it plans to have a extra inexpensive product line sooner or later. Kuo, The Data, Mark Gurman, and different sources have argued that whereas a few of these plans are inconsistent with one another, they’ve data of those plans in recent times.
Kuo’s newest report argues that mass manufacturing of headsets referred to as Apple Imaginative and prescient Air ought to start within the second half of 2027. It is a change in place from the November report that recommended there could be a delay “past 2027”.
In response to Kuo, the Apple Imaginative and prescient Air is over 40% greater than immediately’s Imaginative and prescient Professional, making it “a massively lower cost.”
He argues that this weight and value discount is achieved at the very least partially by utilizing A-series chipsets (particularly these arrange on the iPhone 19 Professional), sensors, plastic as an alternative of glass, and magnesium as an alternative of aluminum.
Cheaper Apple Imaginative and prescient makes use of iPhone chips and should lack imaginative and prescient
The extra inexpensive imaginative and prescient headsets below growth by Apple might lack imaginative and prescient utilizing the A-series chipset.
These particulars are alongside these beforehand reported by Mark Garman of Bloomberg. Earlier than the Imaginative and prescient Professional was revealed, Gurman reported that Apple was engaged on a less expensive mannequin with an A-Collection chip, and later he stated it was “extremely doubtless” that he wouldn’t have a imaginative and prescient lenticular show.
All-new Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional (2028)
Kuo means that the short-term Imaginative and prescient Professional Refresh will simply be a chipset bump, however says Apple is planning a real successor to the subsequent technology Imaginative and prescient Professional within the second half of 2028.
In response to a report by Kuo, this all-new Imaginative and prescient Professional continues to make use of the M-Collection chipset and encompasses a “very lighter” and “all-new design”, however has a lower cost than immediately’s Imaginative and prescient Professional.
Good Glasses (2027)
Mark Gurman explains Apple’s plans to launch a competitor instantly on Ray-Ban Meta Glasses for about eight months.
Gurman says Apple’s sensible glasses have cameras, microphones and audio system that will likely be used for telephones, music playback, dwell translation, turn-by-turn course, and multi-modal AI with a brand new Apple-designed chipset based mostly on the extremely environment friendly S-series chips that Apple makes use of on the Apple Watch.
Garman initially stated that Apple had deliberate to put on glasses in 2027, however in Might that Apple is “growing work” in hopes of transport within the second half of 2026.
Apple Good Glasses are reportedly scheduled to be launched in late 2026
Apple plans to launch a competitor in Ray-Ban Metagrass within the second half of 2026, Bloomberg’s Markgerman stories.
Nevertheless, Ming-Chi Kuo’s new report contradicts Gurman’s current report, which claims that mass manufacturing is not going to start till mid-2027.
In response to Kuo, Apple’s suppliers projected sufficient element shipments to 30,000,000 items in 2027.
Ray-Ban Meta Glass has bought 2 million items, and manufacturing quantity has elevated dramatically.
Ray-Ban Metagrass has bought 2 million items to this point, and its annual manufacturing capability has elevated to 10 million by the tip of 2026.
For comparability, as of February, Ray-Ban Meta Glass had bought 2 million items. Esilolluluxottica, proprietor of Ray-Ban, plans to extend its annual manufacturing capability to 10 million folks by the tip of 2026.
Glass show (at pause)
In January, Gurman reported that Apple had cancelled AR show glasses that require a connection to a Mac.
In response to a report by Gurman, the unique plan was really to drive these AR glasses on the iPhone, however in actuality, the telephones are unable to offer adequate processing energy, and “have an effect on” the telephone’s battery life. So Apple pivoted to energy via the Mac, however the glasses “labored poorly throughout critiques with executives”, resulting in cancellation.
Apple reportedly cancels AR glasses on MAC connection
Apple has cancelled AR show glasses that require a Mac (or the iPhone initially anticipated by Apple), reporting Bloomberg’s Markgerman.
Kuo’s new report additionally describes these exhibit glasses, explicitly saying they use electro-dynamic dimming utilizing Birdbath optics like XReal.
Nevertheless, Kuo describes them as “pauses” somewhat than being cancelled totally, claiming that they’re “at present below overview for relocation and specification enhancements” and that there’s a chance of rebooting.
TrueAr Glasses (2028)
After all, the holy grail of firms like Apple and Meta means comparatively skinny and lightweight glasses that may evoke digital interfaces and objects within the bodily world.
Earlier this 12 months, Mark Garman argued that Tim Prepare dinner was a “hell bend” by releasing the industry-leading ‘AR glasses’ earlier than Meta, and that Prepare dinner “has no different consideration,” and that he was “the one factor that actually spends his time when it comes to product growth.”
Nevertheless, Garman additionally stated it could take years for Apple’s AR glasses to be prepared, and in January executives weren’t anticipating an absolute early product launch till 2028.
Apple remains to be engaged on microreal shows for AR glasses
Apple is reportedly nonetheless growing microrule shows for AR glasses, however the precise product isn’t prepared till 2028.
At the moment, Kuo claims that Apple is planning to mass-produce it utilizing LCOS shows within the second half of 2028.
An LCOS show is basically an LCD microdisplay. These have been used on many AR gadgets so far, together with each the unique Hololens, Magic Leap Headets and the most recent Snap Spectacles Growth Package. Meta can even be utilizing the LCO for its first AR glasses reportedly deliberate for 2027.
(Hololens 2 as an alternative used a know-how referred to as Laser Beam Scan (LBS), which the corporate hoped to show that it was nice, however in actual fact supplied essential visible artifacts.)
Kuo stated Apple additionally has one other true AR glasses mannequin in growth, “with low manufacturing timeline and visibility.” He will not prolong what this may imply, however Gurman reported that Apple has a staff of “secret services” that develops microlisplay for AR glasses.
Microludes, at the very least in idea, are the best show system for AR glasses, with extraordinarily excessive effectivity, providing excessive brightness with a compact type issue low energy draw and wonderful picture high quality. Nevertheless, now we have not but thought of a approach to mass-produce it at excessive density. The primary microring glasses from a Chinese language firm supply a decision of simply 480p.
If Kuo is to be believed, Apple’s solely short-term plan for headsets and glasses is to replace the Imaginative and prescient Professional with the M5 chip, and the corporate has no product plans for 2026.
In response to Kuo, Apple goals to supply a really low-cost and lightweight Apple Imaginative and prescient Air together with its rivals of Ray-Ban Meta Good Glasses, built-in with the Apple Ecosystem.
Past that, Kuo claims that Apple will ship the true next-generation Imaginative and prescient Professional in 2028, together with the primary true AR glasses.
As at all times, it needs to be famous that Kuo isn’t at all times correct. Furthermore, a few of his new claims are inconsistent with himself, as are stories from others like Mark Garman of Bloomberg. It is fascinating to consider what Kuo is saying, but it surely needs to be learn as a normal indication of Apple’s course, based mostly on conversations with suppliers, somewhat than on particular product concrete timelines.
