Apple has had to play catch-up with competitors who have made major innovations in the world of artificial intelligence (AI) and smart glasses for the past three years. The bet in the meta-market through Vision Pro has not reached the target with sales remaining disappointing. In the latest Bloomberg report, Apple is said to have postponed the development of the lightweight Vision Pro to make way for the production of smart glasses.
Previously, there were reports that a new Vision Pro, an affordable Vision Pro and Apple smart glasses were being developed simultaneously. But with competitors such as Meta, Google, Samsung and Xiaomi already launching (or about to launch) their smart glasses, Apple needs to focus more on producing “Apple Glass”.
The smart glasses are being developed using the internal code N50. They need to be compatible with the iPhone, are not equipped with a built-in screen but have a camera. They are more like the first-generation Ray-Ban Meta and will be launched by 2027. Therefore, the launch of the lighter Vision Pro will only be done after 2027. After the N50, a new pair of smart glasses will be launched with a built-in screen.
Meta dominates the smart glasses market with the recently launched Ray-Ban Meta and Meta Ray-Ban Display, which are expected to further expand their hold as there are still no real competitors in the market. Chinese-made smart glasses are not going global while Google and Samsung will only launch their products next year.