The stylish, lightweight AR glasses that Apple shelved while developing the Vision Pro are back in the release menu. The new glasses will reportedly be more elegant than Meta's Ray-Ban set.
Daniel Zlatev, Published
Apple Wearable Virtual Reality (VR) / Augmented Reality (AR)
In order to speed up the release of its Vision Pro 2 AR/VR headset, Apple shelved a lighter, more compact version that looks more like regular glasses than ski goggles.
Its smart glasses project is apparently back on the release menu, but in the form of a less ambitious device that can be worn daily, similar to the Meta AI Ray-Ban glasses that currently go for less than $400 over at Amazon.
The new smart glasses are expected to be released in 2026, after Apple is done and dusted with the Vision Pro 2 launch later this year. They are expected to be made with higher quality materials and look more elegant than Meta's Ray-Bans, though they are primed for a new generation, too, that might have improved design and ergonomics.
Apple is not planning any groundbreaking functions for its 2026 smart glasses and will reportedly set them apart from Meta or Google's efforts by their design. The glasses will fitcameras, speakers, and mics to take calls or voice commands, play music, give navigation directions, or translate on the go.
This is a less ambitious version of Apple's ultimate goal to have true AR glasses that can enrich the real world before their frames with digital information overlays and still feel like regular eyeweat in the process, not a dorky headgear contraption.
Apple's engineers apparently mull introducing vision to other of its wearables to see what might stick, too, including camera-equipped Apple Watch or AirPods. The Watch project has reportedly been shelved, though, while the work on a set of AirPods with cameras continues.
After fumbling its iPhone AI rollout, Apple is trying to find a winning formula for the next generation of AI devices that might not take the iPhone form factor. In its latest testimony for the DOJ lawsuit against Google's parent company Alphabet, Apple's Eddy Cue warnsthat "you may not need an iPhone 10 years from now as crazy as it sounds," referring to the rise of AI-enabled gear.
As if to underscore the challenge facing Apple, former lead iPhone and Mac designer Jony Ive went to work for OpenAI on the next generation of devices powered by artificial intelligence. Apple enjoys a lot more brand recognition, though, and other companies' efforts to develop dedicated AI gear have failed, so a set of smart camera-equipped Apple AI glasses or AirPods might be a good move, with their market success hinging on design and pricing.
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Daniel Zlatev - Senior Tech Writer - 1714 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2021
Wooed by tech since the industrial espionage of Apple computers and the times of pixelized Nintendos, Daniel went and opened a gaming club when personal computers and consoles were still an expensive rarity. Nowadays, fascination is not with specs and speed but rather the lifestyle that computers in our pocket, house, and car have shoehorned us in, from the infinite scroll and the privacy hazards to authenticating every bit and move of our existence.
