Kuo: Apple planning a 10.8-inch iPad in H2 2020 and a new iPad mini in H1 2021, predicts AR glasses with laminated lens in 2022 at the earliest
yes, I know these glasses don't exist to the outside world yet—I'm damn curious at how and what accessibility features are planned. Apple Watch, AirPods are one thing; putting something on your face is a whole other ballgame. https://twitter.com/... Kontra / @counternotions : a) AR first, VR later b) VR first, AR later c) AR only d) VR only e) VR + AR = MR f) Look, Car! https://techcrunch.com/... Dark Mode Dave / @davemark : My biggest question about Apple Glasses is how they will work for people with prescription lenses. Can't imagine Apple shipping a product that only works for a percentage of the population. There a school of thought on this? https://twitter.com/... Rene Ritchie / @reneritchie : It's obvious at this point one is talking about shades and the other good old whiskey tumblers. 🕶 vs. 🥃 (Sorry, it's bad joke Friday. I don't make the rules, people.) https://twitter.com/...
Context & Ripple Effects
This is the latest installment in Ming-Chi Kuo's multi-year public mapping of Apple's unannounced hardware. His 2016 iPad roadmap projected three models plus a flexible-AMOLED iPad, and his October 2019 note put an Apple AR headset in Q2 2020 alongside the iPhone SE 2 and new iPad Pros.
The new note revises that picture on both fronts: the iPad line gets a 10.8-inch model in H2 2020 and a new iPad mini in H1 2021, while the face-worn device slips to 2022 at the earliest — now specified as AR glasses with a laminated lens rather than a near-term headset. The laminated-lens detail matters because commentators immediately flagged prescription lenses and accessibility as the make-or-break design question for anything worn on the face.
First-order effects
- iPad buyers get two dated refresh windows — a 10.8-inch model in H2 2020 and a new iPad mini in H1 2021 — while anyone waiting on Apple's face-worn device learns it is at least two years out.
- The AR timeline visibly moves against Kuo's own prior note, which had an Apple AR headset arriving in Q2 2020; the 2022-at-the-earliest framing resets expectations for accessory makers and developers building around Apple's wearable roadmap.
Second-order effects
- The laminated-lens specification directly addresses the prescription-lens objection raised in coverage of the glasses: a face-worn product that only works for users who don't need corrective lenses would shrink its own addressable market before launch.
Third-order effects
- If the pattern from the 2016 iPad roadmap holds — some entries shipped, others slipped or never arrived — these notes function best as directional planning signals for suppliers and developers rather than firm ship dates.
- A 2022-or-later glasses window extends Apple's wearables sequence beyond Watch and AirPods toward face-worn computing, giving rivals a dated target to plan against even before Apple confirms the product exists.
The trend: Analyst-roadmap coverage is increasingly doing Apple's expectation-setting for it, stretching from quarterly iPad refreshes to multi-year bets on face-worn AR hardware.