Apple Inc.’s AAPL much-anticipated “Apple Glass,” rumored competitor to Meta Platforms Inc.’s META Ray-Ban smart glasses, may not hit the market for several more years.
What Happened: In his latest weekly “Power On” newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that the development of Apple’s augmented reality (AR) smart glasses is still in its early stages. The tech giant intends to create lightweight spectacles that offer AR functionality.
Despite ongoing speculation that the smart glasses could be launched by 2026 or 2027, this timeline may be overly optimistic. “Though a launch date around 2027 has been bandied about, no one I've spoken to within Apple believes the glasses will be ready in a few years,” Gurman stated.
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He went on to suggest that Apple might spend several more years proving the viability of the AR glasses. This assumption is based on the fact that Vision Products Group, responsible for developing the glasses, has thousands of employees and continues to hire.
Why It Matters: Apple has been involved in augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) development since at least 1995.
Last year, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that Apple is developing a new technology called “metalens” to replace plastic lens covers in future devices. He stated that the first use of metalens will be for Face ID covers on the iPad Pro, with potential integration into iPhones by 2025 or 2026.
He also predicted that this technology will eventually be used in “Apple Glasses” (not AR/MR headsets), which could enter mass production as early as 2026 or 2027.
Meanwhile, Meta's latest Ray-Ban smart glasses, launched in September, start at $299 and feature Meta AI, a camera, call-making capabilities, and built-in speakers.
At the time of launch, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said, “These are the first smart glasses that are built-in shipping with Meta AI in them. Starting in the U.S., you're going to get the state-of-the-art AI that you can interact with hands-free wherever you go.”
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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