Apple is, for many, synonymous with technological excellence. It might not always be first to market with a brand new consumer product, but when its version drops it’s unbeatable. Nowhere is that less true, however, than with the Vision Pro.
Beautiful yet uncomfortable, powerful yet lacking in software to really take advantage of it, packed with interesting features that bloat the price to an absurd $3,499 / £3,499 / AU$5,999. It impressed at launch but long-term users came to realize it was not the Apple product of tomorrow many hoped it might be.
Apple dropped the ball, and while there have been rumors that a follow-up would emerge in the coming years – either a full-on sequel or perhaps an Air (read: more budget-friendly) version, or both – but now there are reports that idea has been shelved for the next big thing: smart glasses.
I think this is probably the right decision, but I also wonder if Apple will simply make the same mistakes all over again.
Not a repetition, possibly a rhyme
This leak comes via Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman – whose insiders are often right on the money with Apple leaks, though as always take rumors with a pinch of salt – and says that Apple is diverting resources (including staff) away from Apple Vision Pro’s successor towards glasses.
What’s more, we’ve been told Apple’s developing two smart glasses. One with a display, and one without – mimicking the Meta Ray-Ban Display and Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses.
The latter may land in 2027 – though might get unveiled next year – while the display glasses are currently tipped for 2028. That said, with this new devotion to glasses, both pairs may land a little sooner.
Assuming nothing changes, this would firmly plant Apple behind all of its rivals.
Meta already has display and non-display smart specs, Android XR (Samsung and others partnering with Google) are expected to launch a variety of glasses next year, and other players like Snap are due to launch full-on consumer AR specs next year too.
Some may be exclusive to Android, but Snap and Meta’s glasses are more phone agnostic (Snap’s specs will likely be their own independent device). There's a very real risk that the people who might want Apple glasses would already be in bed with a pair from someone else long before they arrive.
At the same time, Apple also has some goodwill to rebuild.
Apple fumbled the iPhone 16 when it over-promised AI abilities before it had them – with the iPhone 17 launch notably lacking in similar repeat claims, and some of those features that have still yet to be delivered a year after being promised.
Smart glasses are, however, reliant on AI for their best functions.
Based on its history, I know I wouldn’t trust Apple to deliver excellent AI glasses, not without help.
It could use ChatGPT like it has done with Siri so far, but then Apple would have to find other ways to justify its glasses against the competition that also uses ChatGPT – and the many services boasting first-party AI that they can adapt to directly fit their needs like Meta and Google.
This inexperience and late arrival to the party perfectly mimics Apple’s recent attempts at smart speakers and a VR headset. Unfortunately for Apple, both flopped.
However, if Apple can somehow pull something out of the bag, I could see Apple smart glasses being the best-selling gadget of 2027 – Meta’s Ray-Bans are already hugely popular, and they don’t have the technological hardware notoriety of Apple.
We’ll have to wait and see what it can deliver when/if its smart glasses land, but I’m seriously hoping for a big swing from Apple. At the same time, I’m not holding my breath.
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