Apple could launch new iPads in the coming year and a pair of computerized Apple Glasses in 2022 "at the earliest," TF Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in a new note on Thursday.
Apple is preparing an "affordable" 10.8-inch iPad that could launch in the second half of 2020, and a new mini-sized iPad between 8.5 and 9-inches large for the first half of next year, the analyst said.
The predictions from the well-known Apple supply chain analyst suggest that Apple still has several products in its pipeline for launch in the short-term despite disruption to the electronics industry from Covid-19. The predicted date for Apple's long-rumored glasses project suggests that a launch for the new product category is not imminent.
"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," Kuo wrote in the note.
"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," he continued.
Apple released a new version of the iPhone SE this spring. It's the company's least expensive new phone, starting at $399, but it has Apple's fastest mobile chip in it. Apple currently sells an entry-level iPad with a 10.2-inch screen for $329. Kuo estimates low-cost models account for between 60% and 70% of iPad shipments.
Apple is working on virtual and augmented reality as a potential new product category. Kuo believes that Apple's glasses are years away, and will use a pricey laminated lens to display digital content overlaid on top of the real world.
"The lamination cost of Apple Glasses will be high because the lens requires multi-layer laminations to create innovative MR/AR user experience," Kuo wrote.
Kuo's analysis usually focuses on companies that sell parts and assembly services to Apple, and he has successfully predicted unreleased Apple products in the past.
