Apple Glasses Could Hit Shelves as Early as 2026 or 2027, Per Kuo

Apple is planning to release Apple Glasses as early as 2026 or 2027, reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says in his latest investment note.

The insider also claims that the upcoming AR smart wearable will have metalenses that will replace the usual camera lenses.

Apple Glasses Launch Could Still Take Some Time

For the past two years, we have been hearing stories about Apple's attempt to invest in different types of wearables for the next few years.

It should be noted that the Cupertino giant is rumored to launch two wearables on an unspecified date. The first one is the Reality Pro which is focused on bringing mixed-reality experience to the users. The second one is the Apple Glasses which only emphasizes augmented reality.

According to a report by 9to5Mac, the Apple Glasses are expected to be released at around $2,000 or $3,000. While the Reality Pro might come out this summer at WWDC, the smart glasses could still take some time before they hit the market.

As Ming-Chi Kuo writes in his investment note on Thursday, April 13, the Apple Glasses will be mass-produced three or four years from now, at the earliest.

The launch of the first-gen Apple wearable is a "massively ambitious project" to many, but given how saturated the headset market is these days, the company could be just looking for potential flaws from other brands to improve its product later.

Metalens Could be Used For Apple's AR Glasses

The age of camera lenses is gradually going down the drain, but not this year. Somehow, we could see a new technology a few years from now that can replace them.

As Macrumors wrote in its report, Apple could use metalenses, a special type of flat lens that could be thinner than a sheet of paper.

Kuo says that if the Apple Glasses hit shelves as early as 2026, the metalens will be included as the main camera upgrade.

The insider claims that metalenses will be mass-produced next year, so there's a chance that it will first be available to other Apple devices that use Face ID such as iPhone and iPad Pro.

If the rumors are true about this production, the "lowest-end" plastic lenses will have no place anymore for advanced smart glasses between 2028 and 2030.

"Investors should be aware that over the next few years, metalens will gradually replace existing plastic lenses in 3D sensing applications. Glasses-type head-mounted display devices are the killer application for metalens," Kuo says.

It's surprising to know that Kuo shared the timeframe for the release of Apple Glasses, but his previous prediction is all about AR "contact lenses."

Back in late February, a report from Tech Times indicated that Apple AR/VR headset might still work even if the user does not own an iPhone or iPad.

At that time, the news outlet pointed out that the upcoming AR wearable could work independently without the need to connect another device. Bloomberg tech writer Mark Gurman claimed that the mixed-reality headset might debut during WWDC 2023.