James Yan

1. The Apple XR headset and smart glasses roadmap I put together about a year ago is no longer a useful reference. For now, only two smart glasses products remain visible in the roadmap. 2. The major overhaul was signed off by Apple's next CEO, John Ternus. This shift actually happened a while back. I'm just late updating the chart. I think removing the Vision Pro line was the right call, as Apple shifts resources toward smart glasses with greater mass-market potential. 3. My latest supply chain checks suggest Apple’s display-equipped AR/XR smart glasses device, powered by optical waveguides, has slipped to 2029. The display-less AI glasses, similar to Ray-Ban Meta, are still expected to ship in 2027.

1. 我大約一年前做的這張 Apple 的 XR 頭戴裝置與智慧眼鏡之規劃路線（roadmap）沒什麼參考價值了，目前只剩兩個智慧眼鏡裝置有能見度。 2. 規劃路線大改是由 Apple 的下一任 CEO John Ternus 拍板定案（其實已經改變一段時間，只是我沒即時更新），我認為移除 Vision Pro 系列、並將資源轉向具有更廣大消費潛力的智慧眼鏡類產品是正確決定。 3. 最新的供應鏈調查指出，Apple 具有顯示功能的 AR / XR 智慧眼鏡（採用光波導）將延後到 2029 年。沒有顯示功能的 AI 眼鏡（類似 Ray-Ban Meta）預計還是在 2027 年推出。

Nvidia's Much-Anticipated, Reportedly Upcoming N1X / Windows PC Processor: Supply Chain Checks and Key Takeaways ▌Supply chain checks point to around 10M shipments of N1X-based devices over the next two years. ➡ Still a niche market, aimed at power users who need on-device AI compute. ➡ Whether shipments get revised up will come down to price, but mainly to whether Windows can deliver apps and workflows that truly orchestrate on-device AI compute. ▌Today, the main ways people use AI on a PC (both Windows and Mac) are accessing cloud LLM services through a browser and calling LLMs via API to consume a cloud provider's compute / tokens: ➡ In both cases, the core AI compute happens in the cloud, not on the device. ▌So far in 2026, the two hottest stories in the PC market have had almost nothing to do with on-device AI compute: ➡ Strong MacBook Neo sales. My industry checks suggest 2026 shipments of Neo models were revised up by roughly 100% (5M → 10M). Buyers are paying for price, design, and ecosystem, not for on-device AI compute. ➡ Cheap mini PCs, still niche, are drawing a lot of attention because they can run AI agents (like OpenClaw) around the clock (e.g., Mac mini). These agents also run inference in the cloud. ➡ Bottom line: neither the sales nor the buzz has much to do with on-device AI compute. ▌The key to on-device AI driving an upgrade cycle is the operating system (OS): ➡ What really sets on-device AI apart from the cloud is its ability to deeply integrate a user's data and workflows across apps while keeping things private. But that needs OS support. ➡ AI in today's PC OS is still mostly about adding AI features to first-party apps and loosely connecting workflows across apps. ➡ Some apps already make good use of on-device AI compute, like speech-to-text, but not enough to drive meaningful upgrade demand. ▌The N1X devices could give AI power users another solid option: ➡ Thanks to the N1X, device makers can strike a better new balance across AI compute, memory, design, and portability. ➡ For power users running LLMs on-device, an N1X device is a solid alternative to the Mac when it comes to capable on-device AI compute and large memory. ➡ But if the goal is a real upgrade cycle, then beyond price, OS support (Windows) is still what matters.

Two recent signals that align with my view: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman @sama teapawt.net/sama/status/2048428561… "...to seriously rethink how operating systems and user interfaces are designed... there should be a protocol that is equally usable by people and agents." GeekPark @GeekParkHQ cited remarks from OpenAI’s Head of Hardware, Richard Ho, at a Stanford IEEE session: teapawt.net/GeekParkHQ/status/2048… "...it’s the first time infrastructure and consumer hardware are being tightly coupled. OpenAI is making the bet that if users' default interface shifts to agents, the current stack, device, silicon, OS, doesn’t really hold."

Two recent signals that align with my view: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman @sama teapawt.net/sama/status/2048428561… "...to seriously rethink how operating systems and user interfaces are designed... there should be a protocol that is equally usable by people and agents." GeekPark @GeekParkHQ cited remarks from OpenAI’s Head of Hardware, Richard Ho, at a Stanford IEEE session: teapawt.net/GeekParkHQ/status/2048… "...it’s the first time infrastructure and consumer hardware are being tightly coupled. OpenAI is making the bet that if users' default interface shifts to agents, the current stack, device, silicon, OS, doesn’t really hold."

Rubin will consume LPDDR like water in 2027… just watch.

Surprisingly, MKBHD's best smartphone camera of 2025 is not an iPhone this time. It is the OPPO Find X9 Pro!

Hey Samsung, want to turn back the declining Z Series? Follow these steps: • Reduce the Z Fold6 to $1599 & Z Flip6 to $999 • Release the Z Fold Special Edition as Z Fold6 Ultra globally for $1899 • Expand the marketing beyond just AI features

So, Galaxy Z Fold6 is 12.1 mm thick. If we compare that to other foldable phones of the same type launched recently, Fold6 is actually the thickest one yet. • Honor Magic V3: 9.2 mm • Xiaomi MIX Fold 4: 9.5 mm • vivo X Fold3: 10.2 mm • Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold: 10.5 mm • Huawei Mate X5: 11.1 mm • vivo X Fold3 Pro: 11.2 mm • OPPO Find N3/OnePlus Open: 11.7 mm

Google confirms Android 16 will launch in June, while showing off some of its features sooner androidcentral.com/apps-soft…