AirTags, next-gen AirPods and new Apple augmented reality device coming this year, claims Kuo
Respected TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who is sometimes referred to as the top Apple insider, has earned a reputation for being one of the most knowledgeable sources on all things Apple. The long-rumored AirTags item trackers from Apple, along with updated AirPods, a whole new augmented reality gadget, and more, are on the horizon, according to Kuo in a new research note released today.
For a while now, Apple fans have been talking about AirTags. The tiny trackers, which resemble small Tiles, are anticipated to be attached to valuables like wallets, backpacks, keys, and more. Users will be able to track their belongings in the Find My app, which is said to alert users as soon as they become separated from their valuables, with the exception of situations where items have been left behind at a predefined “Safe Location,” like the user’s home or workplace.
According to leaker Jon Prosser, Apple is allegedly postponing the release of AirTags until March 2021. He further said that the tags would be “just a trifle bigger than a bottle cap,” and that the company plans to sell a keychain with a small leather bag that you can put your AirTag into.
Like AirTags, it has long been reported that Apple is getting set to introduce the next-generation AirPods this year. Within the next several months, a new $199 “Lite” model of the AirPods Pro are expected to be on sale without the active noise cancelling feature included in the existing AirPods Pro. It is also known that Apple is revamping the base AirPods to resemble the AirPods Pro as of right now.
The next and possibly most intriguing statement made by Kuo was that a new augmented reality gadget, whether it be an AR headset, glasses, or both, is anticipated this year. It is well known that augmented reality (AR) gadgets have been in development for a while; nonetheless, Kuo predicted in the first half of last year that Apple’s augmented reality glasses wouldn’t be available until 2022 “at the earliest.”
According to leaked medical records from 2017, an Apple employee complained of eye irritation after using a new prototype, which was likely a set of Apple’s AR glasses.
Note that Apple’s iPhones and iPads already have augmented reality features, so Kuo is being a little unclear when he claims a new augmented reality gadget would be available in 2021.
Regarding Apple’s other product lines, Kuo predicts that small LED screens will be introduced to the iPad and Mac in 2021, and that Apple Silicon will continue to be rolled out throughout the whole Mac series.
