Apple will launch its augmented reality headset in the second quarter of 2020.
According to reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple’s AR headset, known colloquially as Apple Glasses, will go into mass production as soon as the fourth quarter of 2019 ahead of an early 2020 launch, suggesting that the model and components have been finalized.
In Kuo’s most recent TF International Securities research note, he states that Apple is working with third-party brands to launch its very first head-mounted AR product next year, and Changying Precision is expected to serve as the main chassis supplier.
Kuo previously suggested that Apple would launch the product mid-2020, but has brought forward his predicted release date suggesting that the machine will be ready before summer.
In July, one report suggested that Apple had pulled the plug on its AR headset project in its entirety, but those rumors began to circulate once again when we found code in iOS 13 and Xcode 11 referencing an augmented reality headset of some kind, as part of Apple Arcade.
Indeed, the Find My app revealed an icon of what looks like an AR headset, similar to Google Cardboard, suggesting Apple had been working on its own AR tool for some time.
It could even be believed that Apple planned to have the headset ready for the launch of Apple Arcade and iOS 13, but that it had to delay the project until the model had been finalized.
Apple will market the AR glasses as an accessory to the iPhone, allowing users to offload some of their everyday tasks, such as computing and networking, to their portable glasses.
By designing the glasses as an accessory to the iPhone rather than a standalone product, the company is able to keep them light and slim, with the device effectively streaming from an iPhone.
It’s a similar concept to the original Apple Watch, which has since been refined.
Apple had planned to launch its AR headset in 2019, but the company was relaxed about taking its time and decided that a 2020 release would be more realistic.
One report from Bloomberg suggested that the new product would come with its own operating system, based on iOS, called rOS, though this is unconfirmed and may change ahead of release.
Are you looking forward to seeing Apple Glasses? Let us know on Twitter and check back soon for more news and rumors on Apple Glasses and indeed other Apple developments, as and when we get them.
