What you need to know
- Supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is out with a new investor note.
- Kuo says Apple plans to release two new iPads in the next year.
- He also says that the company's rumored glasses won't launch until 2022.
Supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is out with a new investor note that says Apple has some new affordable iPads on the way. Reported by 9to5Mac, Apple will debut a new 10.8-inch iPad by the end of this year. It will then follow that release with a new 8.5-9-inch iPad Mini in 2021, a device that has not seen an update in years.
"Kuo first says that Apple will launch a new 10.8-inch iPad during the second half of 2020, followed by a new iPad mini that's between 8.5-inches and 9-inches during the first half of 2021. According to the analyst, the selling points of these iPads will be "the affordable price tag and the adoption of fast chips," much like the new iPhone SE."
It is unclear if the affordable iPad that Kuo mentions is a replacement for the 7th-generation iPad that currently sells for $329, or the iPad Air that currently retails for $499.
Kuo then notes that Apple will not be announcing its rumored smart glasses until 2022 "at the earliest". According to the analyst, the manufacturing process will be especially difficult because of the kinds of mixed and augmented reality experiences the company plans for the device.
"Finally, Kuo also says that Apple will launch the Apple Glasses sometime in 2022 "at the earliest." The report explains that Apple Glasses will be tricky and expensive to manufacture because of the multi-layered approach to "create innovative MR/AR" user experiences."
The features and timeline for Apple's rumored glasses are still widely unknown, with release date predictions as far out as 2023.
