TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has reiterated earlier claims that Apple plans to launch its first augmented reality headset next year, claiming the device will likely launch during Q2 2022.
In a new research note on Tuesday, the analyst says he predicts Apple’s first head-mounted display (HMD) device will provide users a video see-through AR experience, citing Taiwan-based Genius Electronic Optical as the supplier who will handle production of the device at its factories that already supply the likes of Facebook and Sony.
Kuo previously outlined what he believes to be Apple’s three-phase plan to begin to launch mixed reality wearables, claiming we will see the iPhone maker launch an AR/VR “helmet type” headset, followed by Apple’s long-rumored AR glasses in 2025, and potentially in 2030-2040, new AR contact lenses.
The analyst has also said previously that he expects next year’s HMD to feature a total of 15 camera modules, which will enable advanced AR and “innovative biometrics.”
The Information shared in February what it claimed to be our first look at Apple’s upcoming AR/VR headset, publishing a sketch based on secret internal imagery it saw from an unnamed source “with direct knowledge” of the development, claiming the device will offer a “sleek, curved visor attached to the face by a mesh material and swappable headbands,” as shown in the drawing above.
Image: The Information