If Apple wants to match the grip Meta has on the smart glasses market, it just might have to simplify its face computers. For now, at least.
According to an internal announcement reported in Bloomberg by serial Apple leaker Mark Gurman, Apple has deprioritized efforts to make a lighter, more affordable version of its Vision Pro headset in favor of focusing on AI-enabled smart glasses. Apple now seems to be aiming to launch a pair of Meta-style smart glasses in 2027, with another pair featuring a display on the lens aimed for release in 2028—if not before.
The move makes sense—after all, this has been the year where smart glasses really gained a foothold—but it's a telling and somewhat embarrassing U-turn for Apple. The $3,499 Apple Vision Pro has widely been considered a failure for the company, after Apple moved uncharacteristically early in a field that was still finding its feet. While it was always clear that Apple intended the premium device to prove its use case to developers, widespread acceptance of Apple’s tech simply hasn’t followed. It’s too expensive, too bulky, too socially isolating, and altogether lacking in apps and use cases—the complete opposite to a pair of smart glasses.
However, it had seemingly planned to double down on the tech regardless, working on a slimmer, more affordable version of Vision Pro, predicted to launch in 2027. But that has now apparently changed, with the company reportedly fast tracking resources to its smart glasses projects instead.
But Apple is undeniably behind, and considerably so. This sudden change in focus feels unusual for a usually patient Cupertino, and is perhaps an acknowledgement of that fact.
“It does seem that Apple is just kind of spinning,” says Michael Gartenberg, a tech analyst and former Apple marketing director. “For the first time in a long time, Apple feels like they're out of the conversation.”