Apple research analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that Apple will begin production of its first AR headsets as early as 2019.
Chi Kuo, an analyst for TF International Securities, who closely monitors Apple’s Asia supply chain, expects the company to unveil its headset by
mid-2020.
This could indicate that the headsets may already be far into their design and development cycle.
Kuo estimates that the headsets are unlikely
to go on sale until 2020.
The headsets are likely to be marketed as an iPhone accessory, potentially as an additional screen for the
device to project photos and videos, view documents and emails or play games on a larger, virtual display.
The headsets are unlikely to be
high performance headsets, utilising the smartphone to handle most of the processing power.
This means that Apple’s AR offering could be lightweight, allowing for longer
wear.
Apple CEO, Tim Cook, has previously expressed his enthusiasm for the technology, describing AR as "being profound” and having “the ability to amplify
human performance” but acknowledged there are currently limitations to the technology.
He added "There have been improvements, but AR is still very limited in
what it offers, largely because there's a huge gap in the field of view inside headsets."
Although no official announcements have been made, Apple
has filed patents in the US, and coincides with Bloomberg’s report that Apple may have an estimated timeframe of an Apple AR release in 2019-2020.