Apple AR handset could keep iPhones in pockets in 2021 – report
Apple’s 2021 product line up will include the long mooted augmented reality (AR) hardware, according to a leading analyst.
The largely reliable tipster Ming-Chi Kuo believes the first AR headset will appear during the next twelve months, as Apple looks to bring years of work to fruition with its debut hardware.
Kuo didn’t offer any specifics on features (via 9to5Mac), but has previously reported the first-generation device will rely on the iPhone for its computing power, data connectivity, location information and more beamed to the heads-up display.
Apple has kept its AR device plans under lock and key in the last few years, but years of speculation has led to a lot of expectation for a product launch in the coming years. A Bloomberg report in 2017 claimed Apple sees an AR headset as an eventual successor to the all-conquering iPhone.
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Elsewhere, in 2021, Kuo has a few safer predictions including the launch of the long-awaited AirTags Bluetooth trackers. Many observers expected these Tile-like tags to arrive last year, but Apple has continued to hold off despite multiple product launches at the back end of 2020.
Like Tile, the AirTags are expected to enable owners to keep tabs on their valuables, like keys, wallets, backpacks, etc., via the Find My app.
Kuo also says he’s expecting plenty more Apple Silicon-based Mac computers, joining the M1 MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and Mac mini released at the end of 2020. Some of those will be the first to transition to mini-LED displays, Kuo says.
Speaking of mini-LED, he also lends his voice to the chorus of those expecting new 12.9-inch iPad Pro models packing the new display technology. He also believes Apple has big plans for new AirPods in 2021 too.
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