Forget the Vision Pro. Apple reportedly pivots to smart glasses
Apple has reportedly paused an overhaul of its mixed reality headset to develop smart glasses to compete with Meta
NIC COURY
Apple's entry into the mixed reality space hasn't exactly set the world on fire. Now the company is reportedly sidelining plans to update the Vision Pro headset and working instead on smart glasses that would help the company compete with Meta's growing line of wearables.
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Bloomberg reports that Apple announced the decision internally last week, moving staff off of a cheaper, lighter version of the headset and onto a team focusing on glasses. Two types of eyewear are reportedly in the works. One is said to pair with the iPhone and not have a display. That model could debut as soon as 2026, with a 2027 release.
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The other version, set for release a year later, would include a display, says Bloomberg. That would compete with Meta's recently announced Ray-Ban Display line of glasses.
Sales of the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses have tripled over the past year, according to EssilorLuxottica, and were a key contributor to the company's first-half sales of $16.25 billion, a 7.3% year-over-year increase. The two companies have since expanded the partnership, announcing a line of Oakley Meta smart glasses and the recent announcement of the display models.
Smart glasses also gave Meta's earnings a bump earlier this year.
The Vision Pro, meanwhile, has been something of a commercial disappointment. While Apple has not released any official sales data and the reviews of the product have been strong by users, the product's $3,499 price tag was multiple times more expensive than other headsets. The company failed to underline what made it worth that investment to consumers.
Smart glasses could scratch the same itch that smart watches have. Meta's highly-reviewed smart glasses let people take photos and video and provide information to users, without the need to stop and pull out a smartphone.
Apple is historically not the first to market with these sorts of products. IT has historically let other companies roll out early versions and learned from their mistakes, entering the market with a streamlined product that addresses known pain points with a few new innovations.