After experimenting with Mixed-Reality headsets, Apple now seems interested in making Meta Ray-Ban-like smart glasses. The Cupertino-based tech giant is reportedly “ramping up work on the glasses” and may produce working prototypes by the end of the year.
The news from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who, citing people with knowledge of the matter, said that Apple is planning to launch the Meta Ray-Ban competitor “at the end of next year as part of a push into AI-enhanced gadgets.”
Like Meta’s much rumoured smart glasses codenamed Hypernova, Apple’s glasses are said to pack a camera and have a bunch of microphones and speakers, allowing the gadget to analyse the world around us and process voice inputs using Siri. Moreover, it looks like the smart glasses could allow users to make phone calls, control music playback, offer turn-by-turn directions and translate a conversation in real time.
Internally dubbed N50, the report states that Apple’s smart glasses are now clubbed under the descriptor N401, which may be a broader project exploring similar products. But with Apple having a long history of cancelling products, the company may possibly end up scrapping the idea.
Earlier this month, Gurman had claimed that Apple was internally working on a dedicated chip for smart glasses, with plans to start manufacturing as early as next year.
The report also claims that Apple was actively working on making an Apple Watch and Apple Watch Ultra with cameras by 2027, but the project was shut down earlier this week. Also, as strange as it may sound, Gurman says that the tech giant is still working on AirPods with cameras.
With the Apple Vision Pro seeing poor sales figures and smartphone upgrades becoming increasingly incremental, Apple appears to be shifting its focus to other product categories, particularly wearables.
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However, people working on Apple’s smart glasses are worried that the company’s struggle with AI may make the product less appealing compared to Meta’s upcoming Ray-Bans and Samsung’s Project Moohan, both of which will benefit from Meta’s Llama and Google’s Gemini AI models.
Recently, Google announced that Gemini Live with vision will be free for all to use, but Apple is still relying on Google Lens and OpenAI’s solution for its Visual Intelligence feature.
As for Apple smart glasses, the majority of work is reportedly undertaken by the Vision Products Group, the same team that developed the Vision Pro. It looks like the team is also working on a much cheaper and lighter model, in addition to one that offers less lag and low latency by connecting to a Mac.
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