Kuo: Apple plans a cheaper second-gen AR/MR headset with two high-end and low-end models built by Luxcaseict and Foxconn, respectively, likely launching in 2025
Tim Hardwick / MacRumors :
Context & Ripple Effects
Apple’s headset roadmap has shifted away from the lightweight-glasses path: related coverage says technical difficulties led it to postpone lightweight AR glasses indefinitely while planning a lower-cost MR headset for 2024 or 2025. Kuo’s reported two-tier second generation gives that lower-cost direction a manufacturing structure, with different suppliers assigned to the high- and low-end versions.
Earlier Kuo coverage envisioned a mixed-reality headset ahead of AR glasses; the newer plan keeps the near-term focus on MR hardware rather than the lighter glasses form factor.
First-order effects
- Apple would split second-generation AR/MR headset production between Luxcaseict for the high-end model and Foxconn for the low-end model, if Kuo’s reported 2025 plan proceeds.
- Luxcaseict and Foxconn would each be positioned around a distinct product tier rather than competing to build the same headset configuration.
Second-order effects
- Apple’s lower-cost MR effort becomes more directly tied to Foxconn’s execution, while Luxcaseict’s role depends on sustaining the premium version alongside it.
- The reported supplier split gives Apple a way to pursue a cheaper headset without making the premium model’s manufacturing program the sole path for its next generation.
Third-order effects
- If Apple continues prioritizing MR headsets after the glasses postponement, its spatial-computing roadmap is likely to evolve through tiered headset iterations before a return to lightweight AR glasses.
- A dual-supplier, dual-tier approach would make supplier specialization part of Apple’s product segmentation strategy in AR/MR hardware.
The trend: Apple’s reported AR/MR roadmap is moving from a single headset trajectory toward tiered mixed-reality products as lightweight glasses face technical constraints.