Kuo: Apple plans to release a mixed reality headset in mid-2022 for around $1K, followed by AR glasses by 2025 and “contact lens type” devices by 2030-2040
Mark Zuckerberg on the Future of AR and VR Aaron Pressman / Fortune : The latest charges against John McAfee show exactly how not to tout and trade cryptocurrencies Liam Tung / ZDNet : Apple's first augmented reality headset is coming next year, says analyst David Heaney / UploadVR : Kuo: Apple's VR Headset Around $1000, AR Glasses Pushed To 2025 The Information : Mark Zuckerberg on Mind Reading, Apple and the Race to Mainstream VR Darragh Murphy / Laptop Mag : Apple AR/VR headset to arrive in 2022 followed by futuristic smart contact lenses (report) Shawn Knight / TechSpot : Apple's AR/MR roadmap reportedly consists of three phases including a visor, glasses and contact lenses Oliver Haslam / Redmond Pie : Augmented Reality Contact Lenses From Apple Could Launch By 2030 Christian Zibreg / iDownloadBlog.com : Kuo: Apple working on AR contact lenses for release between 2030 and 2040 MacDailyNews : Ming-Chi Kuo: Apple to launch mixed reality headset in mid-2022 and AR glasses by 2025 Tom Pritchard / Tom's Guide : Apple mixed reality headset launch tipped for 2022 — here's what to expect Josiah Motley / KnowTechie : Apple's long-awaited mixed-reality headset could release in 2022 Matthew Bolton / t3.com : Apple's awesome 8K VR headset set to launch next year, AR glasses follow in 2025 Lewis Painter / techadvisor.co.uk : Apple AR/VR headset release date, pricing, design and feature rumours Ali Salman / Wccftech : Apple's AR Contact Lenses Expected in 2030s, Will Bring Electronics Era to “Invisible Computing” Chris Smith / BGR : Apple might release a new $1,000 device in 2022 that's unlike any other Apple product Firstpost Tech : Apple to release Augmented Reality contact lenses in 2030s: Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo Max Freeman-Mills / Pocket-lint : Apple VR headset could launch summer 2022 James Rogerson / TechRadar : Apple smart contact lenses could be coming, but you'll be waiting a long time Stephen Warwick / iMore : Apple VR leak suggests 2022 release date, key features Trevor Mogg / Digital Trends : Apple analyst suggests launch date for its rumored mixed-reality headset David Tian / MyFixGuide.com : Ming-Chi Kuo: Apple to launch Mixed Reality Headset in Mid 2022, Augmented Reality Glasses in 2025, and Augmented Reality Contact Lenses in 2030s Samuel Martinez / Pocketnow : Apple's VR/AR headset could arrive as soon as next year Jody Serrano / Gizmodo : New Report States Apple Will Release Mixed Reality Headset in 2022 and AR Glasses by 2025 Ewdison Then / SlashGear : Apple VR helmet, AR glasses and contact lens launch dates predicted Michael / Apple Terminal : Kuo highlights the future of Apple, including an AR/VR headset, glasses, and contact lenses Steven Musil / CNET : Apple to release mixed reality headset in 2022, analyst predicts Adam Rosenberg / Mashable : Apple's first mixed reality headset is reportedly coming in mid-2022 Alan Friedman / phonearena.com : Top analyst reveals when Apple might unveil the device that will replace the iPhone Malcolm Owen / AppleInsider : Apple's $1000 AR headset expected in 2022, ‘Apple Glass’ in 2025, contact lenses in 2030 Philip Elmer-DeWitt / Philip Elmer‑DeWitt : Ming-Chi Kuo has a new Apple glasses roadmap Gary Ng / iPhone in Canada Blog : Apple May Launch AR ‘Contact Lenses’ in 10 Years, Says Kuo Sanuj Bhatia / iPhone Hacks : Kuo: Apple to Launch $1000 Mixed Reality Headset in 2022, AR Glasses Set for 2025 Jack Purcher / Patently Apple : Ming-Chi Kuo is out with a new round of Rumors relating Apple's Future Eyewear including a long-call on Smart AR Contact Lenses Kim Lyons / The Verge : Apple mixed-reality headset likely coming sometime in 2022, analyst predicts iClarified : Apple to Launch Mixed Reality Headset by 2022, AR Glasses by 2025, Contact Lenses in 2030-2040 [Report] Tweets: Alex Heath / @alexeheath : Mark Zuckerberg joined our podcast for a lengthy chat about augmented and virtual reality. We went deep on the tech challenges to overcome before these devices go mainstream, and Facebook's strategic reasons for investing so much in the space. https://anchor.fm/... Jessica Lessin / @jessicalessin : While we digest last night's big interview, check out this one. @alexeheath and @mathewolson launch our new AR/VR newsletter with a 45-minute interview with Zuckerberg. You can get the highlights via the newsletter or listen to the full pod. https://www.theinformation.com/ ... @theinformation : Announcing The Information's Reality Check: All you need to know about AR/VR and how it'll change your life. Today, highlights from an exclusive interview with Mark Zuckerberg. Read & subscribe to the newsletter for more highlights @alexeheath @mathewolson https://ow.ly/... Scoble / @scobleizer : @rabovitz @gemisisDev @hrafntho @DennyCloudhead @NimaZeighami @Azadux @realovirtualcom @AGraylin With Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Snap, Magic Leap, all reading new products in this space I just don't see much room for others. But we will see. Scoble / @scobleizer : @hrafntho @DennyCloudhead @NimaZeighami @Azadux @realovirtualcom @AGraylin I do not agree. You do realize that Facebook is basically putting $1,000 into every Quest box, right? No investor I know is stupid enough to compete with that. Scoble / @scobleizer : @previ Not saying that either. Bloomberg's report of glasses coming in 2023 are more accurate. Paul Hudson / @twostraws : @stroughtonsmith Would you trust another DTK program? Scoble / @scobleizer : @rabovitz @gemisisDev @hrafntho @DennyCloudhead @NimaZeighami @Azadux @realovirtualcom @AGraylin Yes. As you well know. I told one of your competitors he wouldn't last. He didn't. This game is $10 billion to play. Probably more. I hear Apple is spending $40 billion. Steve Troughton-Smith / @stroughtonsmith : @twostraws I wouldn't. I would take an early-purchase program, with devices to keep, but I have zero confidence Apple can carry out a DTK-style rental program Scoble / @scobleizer : @J_Shepz The first Apple product is going after your living room. Kuo's sources aren't correct. There are dozens of glasses prototypes. Scoble / @scobleizer : @raywongy There is a company two miles from here that already has AR contacts. @MojoVisionInc . I am not bullish. I hate contacts. Alex Heath / @alexeheath : @Marketstuff99 @9to5mac @ChanceHMiller “In terms of price, Kuo says this headset is likely to be ‘similar to that of a high-end iPhone,’ potentially somewhere around $1,000” we stand by our reporting that Apple has recently discussed pricing it at 3K Steve H.McFly / @onleaks : I have much respect for Kuo but please... I also heard Apple may release a spaceship in 2100s...🙄 https://twitter.com/... Rony Abovitz / @rabovitz : @Scobleizer @gemisisDev @hrafntho @DennyCloudhead @NimaZeighami @Azadux @realovirtualcom @AGraylin The market will have segments and opportunities for smaller players within them - but smaller here is a relative term compated to companies with valuations over one trillion. Rony Abovitz / @rabovitz : @Scobleizer @gemisisDev @hrafntho @DennyCloudhead @NimaZeighami @Azadux @realovirtualcom @AGraylin Reality check: the XR platform game is billions per year per company - and there is also a vast IP minefield. At least 10x harder than trying to be a mobile phone player. Raymond Wong / @raywongy : Lol Apple AR contact lenses in 2030-40 Sometimes I really wonder if Kuo is a genius publicity generator actually run by Apple. His leaks are accurate to taper expectations and drive Apple buzz all year round and predictions to create waves of frenzy https://twitter.com/... Steve Troughton-Smith / @stroughtonsmith : Personally, I think AR is going to transform daily life as much as the smartphone has, and it's just a matter of ‘when’, not ‘if’. As always, the future is not evenly distributed, and it takes generational change before we'll take that for granted Steve Troughton-Smith / @stroughtonsmith : Above all, if you've been waiting for a sign to start poking at ARKit, RealityKit, and SceneKit, this is probably it — I think AR is going to be a huge part of Apple's platforms going into the next decades, and the sounds Apple is making suggest it might be what supplants iPhone Steve Troughton-Smith / @stroughtonsmith : AR app development, unlike iPhone apps, isn't really viable in a desktop-based Simulator, so Apple is probably going to have to seed devices early — perhaps another DTK program, or an early-access purchase program Steve Troughton-Smith / @stroughtonsmith : What does this mean, timeline wise? Well, if Apple wants to get a WWDC in before its AR headset ships, a device announcement would be necessary between this WWDC (2021) and next WWDC. If Apple doesn't, they still may need a 6-8 month preannouncement like Apple Watch and iPhone https://twitter.com/... Steve Kovach / @stevekovach : I have an irrational fear of putting things in my eyes, especially contacts. Also eye drops. And now I'm scared of eyeball computers. https://twitter.com/... Aaron Zollo / @zollotech : That's quite the stretch. https://twitter.com/... @iptechar : With Apple #AR glasses “targeted for 2025”, this 100% confirms mobile #AugmentedReality is the standard for sports fans & consumers engagement for at least the next five years. Immersive and experiential mobile #AR. https://twitter.com/... Il Previ / @previ : mixed reality = VR with see-through AR experience via cameras and optics. #mixedreality #ar #vr https://twitter.com/... Scoble / @scobleizer : Kuo's sources aren't working in Cupertino. My sources say that Apple has dozens of glasses prototypes. https://twitter.com/...
Context & Ripple Effects
Apple’s reported sequence—headset first, then lighter glasses—built on an earlier 2022 headset and 2023-or-later glasses roadmap. The later coverage shows why the distinction mattered: Apple indefinitely postponed lightweight glasses while redirecting attention to a lower-cost mixed-reality headset.
The story is therefore less about a single launch estimate than Apple’s proposed progression from a relatively accessible headset to more technically demanding wearable AR hardware.
First-order effects
- Apple’s AR/VR roadmap is framed around a roughly $1,000 mixed-reality headset as the near-term product, with AR glasses and contact-lens-type devices assigned to much later stages.
- The report sets expectations that Apple’s first step in the category would be a headset rather than lightweight glasses.
Second-order effects
- The later postponement of lightweight glasses makes the headset-first sequence more consequential: Apple’s AR/VR effort would remain centered on mixed reality while glasses face technical constraints.
- A lower-cost mixed-reality headset, described in subsequent coverage, extends the importance of the initial headset category rather than accelerating the shift to glasses.
Third-order effects
- Apple’s coverage points to a staged wearable-computing strategy in which headsets serve as the practical entry product and glasses depend on resolving a separate set of technical hurdles.
- If that sequence persists, product segmentation within mixed reality may develop before lightweight AR glasses become a viable mass-market successor.
The trend: Apple’s AR/VR plans illustrate a broader progression from near-term mixed-reality headsets toward lighter AR wearables only as the underlying technology becomes workable.