Apple plans to release a “more affordable” headset by 2025, Ming-Chi Kuo claims.
Ming-Chi Kuo is a TF International Securities analyst best known for forecasting Apple products and movements more than a year in advance using his supply chain resources.
Last year Bloomberg, Kuo and The information released reports claiming that Apple is working on a premium headset for VR and AR with high-resolution color passthrough. Kuo claimed This headset weighs less than Meta’s Quest 2 and features high-resolution OLED microdisplays, while The information claims it will be powered by Apple’s M2 chip seen in the latest MacBooks. All sources indicate that it will launch in 2023.
Bloomberg and The Information report that the first-generation product is expected to cost north of $2,000. But a new report from Kuo claims the second generation will launch in 2025 and will include both a high-end model and a more “affordable” model. Kuo predicts that Apple will reach 10 million units by 2026 with this strategy.
Meta executives say they are selling Quest 2 at or near cost, resulting in a dramatically lower price than rumors suggest Apple will go for its first-generation product. In November, the CEO of Qualcomm, Meta’s chip supplier, said: said Quest 2 was at 10 million units al — though a spokesperson later claimed this was just an “average of third-party market size estimates.” Will Apple’s more affordable model approach the price of Quest 2, or be closer to Meta’s forthcoming? “significantly” higher than $800 QuestPro?
For the first generation headset, Kuo predicts Apple hosts a media event in January, delivers development kits 2 to 4 weeks later, and launches pre-orders in Q2 2023 for a release before WWDC 2023. WWDC is Apple’s annual software conference, almost always held in June.