Apple has paused a planned overhaul of its Vision Pro headset to redirect resources toward developing smart glasses that can rival Meta Platforms products.
The company announced internally last week it was moving staff from the Vision Pro project to accelerate glasses development, reports Bloomberg.
Apple had been preparing a cheaper, lighter variant of its headset, code-named N100, for release in 2027. However, the tech giant is now prioritising smart glasses as a critical arena where companies race to develop AI-centric devices that could eventually challenge smartphones.
The company is working on at least two types of smart glasses. The first, dubbed N50, will pair with an iPhone and lack its own display. Apple aims to unveil this model as soon as next year, ahead of a 2027 release.
Apple is also developing a version with a display that could challenge Meta’s just-released Ray-Ban Display. The Apple version had been planned for 2028, but the company is looking to accelerate development.
Apple remains well behind Meta, which released its first smart glasses, the Ray-Ban Stories, in 2021. Meta then scored a surprise hit with the Ray-Ban Meta that launched in 2023. Last month, Meta refreshed its non-display glasses with improved cameras, longer battery life and new athletic designs.
The priority shift follows an underwhelming debut by the Vision Pro. The $3,499 product, which melds virtual and augmented reality, is seen as too heavy and expensive for mainstream adoption. Apple executives have privately acknowledged the product’s shortcomings, viewing it as overengineered technology.
Chief Executive Tim Cook indicated years ago that glasses would be superior to fully enclosed headsets. In 2016, as Vision Pro development began, he said: “Few people are going to view that it’s acceptable to be enclosed in something, because we’re all social people at heart.”
Apple’s glasses will rely heavily on voice interaction and artificial intelligence. The company is betting that a rebuilt Siri, planned for as early as March, will help power new devices, including glasses, speakers, displays and cameras.
Apple is still planning a modest Vision Pro refresh with a faster chip for as early as the end of this year.
