Apple’s 2nd mixed reality headset might be the one you can afford in 2025

What you need to know

Apple is expected to release a second generation mixed reality headset in 2025.
The first offering is set to be announced next year and cost more than $3,000.
The second release is expected to have a cheaper option available but no price has been given.

The first headset is expected to be prohibitively expensive, but things should improve by 2025.

Apple might have a mixed reality headset that people can actually afford ready to go by 2025 if a new report by analyst Ming-Chi Kuo turns out to be accurate.

Writing on Medium, Kuo notes that the second-generation mixed reality headset will come in two flavors — one of which will be a more affordable option for those who skipped the first release. It’s thought that component suppliers will be ready to start shipping their wares by the second half of 2024 in order to get ready for release.

The second-generation Apple AR/MR may have high-end and more-affordable models, which will launch in 1H25, and component suppliers will start shipping in 2H24.

The first generation mixed reality headset is expected to be announced as soon as the first part of next year, but it’s also expected to sport a price that will put most off. An asking price starting around $3,000 seems to be the consensus, with Kuo claiming that shipments of the headset could reach 10 million units by 2025 or 2026. The cheaper option from 2025 is likely to help out there, although Kuo doesn’t mention what the differences between the pair might be.

Apple AR/MR shipments may reach 10 million units as soon as 2025 or 2026, thanks to the second-generation Apple AR/MR product segmentation strategy and ecosystem.

That $3,000 asking price is expected to be caused by the use of new Apple silicon chips as well as a pair of 8K displays as well as a number of cameras including a LiDAR scanner to allow the heads to map its surroundings. Such scanners are already included on devices like the latest iPhone 13 Pro and iPad Pro.

It still isn’t 100% clear what the new headset will be capable of, with many expecting Apple to announce its existence during last month’s WWDC to allow developers to get apps ready. If a launch does take place in the first half of 2023, developers will need to wait months before the next WWDC rolls around in June.