Apple is planning to launch a pair of augmented reality (AR) glasses next year, according to renowned leaker Jon Prosser, who poured cold water on suggestions that the product had been pushed back to 2022 at the earliest.
Apple’s work on AR glasses has been noted in recent months by several analysts, and Ming-Chi Kuo recently claimed that they would be previewed for the first time in 2021 before an official release a year later.
The larger gap between preview and launch mirrors that of the Apple Watch and HomePod, which were unveiled in 2014 and 2015 respectively before going on sale in 2017 and 2018.
However, Prosser said that this may not be the case late last week when he tweeted that he believed Kuo was “wrong”.
Prosser stated that the first-look window for Apple Glasses had been slated for March to June 2021, adding that he had already seen them and that they were “sleek as hell”.
This means that the new device could be less than a year away.
Apple usually prefers a lengthy gap between the unveiling and shipping of a product as it allows time for its developers to come up with the best experiences and apps for new users.
Kuo noted earlier this year that Apple’s glasses may not be ready for a while due to the use of a laminated lens.
This expensive product feature is required to display the digital content that users see when wearing them.
Kuo said: “The lamination cost of Apple Glasses will be high because the lens requires multi-layer laminations to create innovative MR/AR user experience.”
Apple is also believed to be working on a separate headset for VR and AR experiences.
The headset is expected to arrive before the glasses, so this could be every soon, according to Prosser’s roadmap.
As ever, the latest leaks are to be taken with a dose of scepticism now.