Apple Glasses expected to arrive in 2022 at the earliest; 9-inch iPad mini may debut in 2021, 10.8-inch iPad in 2020

If you believe the rumor mill, Apple is still working on a pair of augmented reality glasses, lovingly called Apple Glasses right now, and they could debut in the next couple of years.

In a new note to investors (via MacRumors), analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has updated his expectations for a slate of new Apple-branded products. First up, the Apple Glasses, what would really be Apple’s big push into AR — following the successful adoption of ARKit for iOS devices. According to Kuo, he expects the wearables to launch sometime in 2022 at the earliest.

Meanwhile, new iPads are in the works, too, according to the analyst. Two new models, in fact. The first of the bunch to debut, which could happen before the end of this year, is a 10.8-inch iPad. The other is a new iPad mini model, which, according to Kuo, could feature a display that measures in at either 8.5 inches or 9 inches. This new iPad mini could debut in the first half of 2021.

Kuo believes both of these tablets will follow the iPhone SE in strategy, as far as pricing is concerned. Which means they will likely scale back certain features compared to the iPad Pro lineup, all in an effort to keep costs down.

We predict that Apple will launch the new 10.8 inch ‌iPad‌ and 8.5–9 inch ‌iPad‌ mini models in 2H20 and 1H21, respectively. GIS will be the main touch panel supplier. The two new ‌iPad‌ models will follow iPhone SE’s product strategy, and selling points will be the affordable price tag and the adoption of fast chips. We believe that GIS will be the primary touch panel supplier for these two new affordable ‌iPad‌ models because the company is the largest medium-size touch supplier, thanks to the cost advantages of Megasite. We think that two new affordable ‌iPad‌ models will significantly contribute to GIS’s revenue because affordable models account for 60–70% of total ‌iPad‌ shipments.

The current iPad measures in at 10.2 inches, and the current iPad mini comes in at 7.9 inches. So it’s possible we could see Apple shrinking the bezels on these devices in the near future. It’s just as likely that Apple will keep the bezels, though, as it keeps costs down (and retains a physical Home button and Touch ID).

Back to the AR glasses. We’ve been hearing about these devices for quite some time now, and it’s starting to line up with a 2022 release date based on the latest reports. Or we could see them arrive in 2023. Apple is also reportedly working on an AR/VR headset, too, which could look similar to Facebook’s Oculus Quest headset.

Are you looking forward to the arrival of Apple’s AR glasses? Let us know in the comments below.