Apple CEO 'Hell Bent' on Launching True AR Glasses Before Meta

[MacRumors]

Apple CEO Tim Cook is "hell bent" on bringing true augmented reality glasses to market before Meta can achieve the same feat, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman says that upcoming new versions of Apple's Vision Pro mixed reality headset are a "stepping stone" towards Cook's ultimate decade-long goal of making AR glasses – lightweight spectacles that users can wear all day and which overlay graphics on the real world.

Cook has apparently made the glasses a "top priority" for the company. "Tim cares about nothing else," Gurman quotes a person with knowledge of the matter as saying. "It's the only thing he's really spending his time on from a product development standpoint."

Meta is currently developing true AR glasses, and has already prototyped a version of the device it envisions bringing to mass market, dubbed Orion.

Gurman notes that it will take "many years" for true AR glasses to be ready, with several technologies still needing to be perfected, including high-resolution displays, a high-performance chip, and a tiny battery that can provide all-day power.

Meta's non-AR Ray-Ban glasses have reportedly been a surprise hit. These glasses are for taking pictures and conversing with an AI assistant. Apple is said to have discussed the possibility of making similar glasses to compete in the same space. Apple's rationale seems to be that creating smart glasses could be a precursor to developing true AR glasses further in the future.

Apple is also said to be adding AI-enabled cameras to the Apple Watch and AirPods over the next couple of years.

There have been rumors about Apple's work on AR glasses – aka Apple Glass – for almost 10 years now, and the Vision Pro headset is what Apple built because the technology doesn't yet exist for the kind of augmented reality glasses that Apple is aiming for.

Gurman has previously reported that Apple is conducting user studies at its offices to gauge the appeal of features and interfaces, and that the company is working on a version of visionOS that will run on glasses. Codenamed "Atlas," the studies are being led by Apple's Product Systems Quality team, part of the hardware engineering division.

Article Link: Apple CEO 'Hell Bent' on Launching True AR Glasses Before Meta

 

[Tripps9000]

lol I bet looked what happened to googles glasses🤣😂

 

[Havalo]

Tim cares about nothing else,

Never truer words spoken.

 

[JapanApple]

Well, what happened with Google was not the failure really but the people’s acceptance they hated those things. The first thing they were introduced they didn’t have a chance.

 

[Mr_Ed]

Sounds like Cook wants to be remembered for being more than just a supply chain bean counter. Good luck with that.

I also don’t get the push for this from Apple, Meta, or anyone else. In the US, around half of adults use glasses. I suppose you could have them custom made to your prescription (for an added cost, of course), but I’m not sure how they would handle something like a progressive lens for projection of AR overlay.

 

[racerhomie]

One of the biggest challenges to this is the Display Technology, with the microLED that makes this possible being very expensive & not bright enough. The current Vision Pro Display is using microOLED but is very expensive to manufacture. Plus microOLED still can wear out since it’s organic. I feel it’s still a long way into the future since LG shut down their $3 Billion microLED manufacturing plant

 

[jamesnajera]

You would think one of the main priorities/ prerequisites for these would be AI and Siri. Maybe Tim should focus on this? If not watch Google come in and beat both Meta and Apple with Goggles 2 driven by multi-modal Gemini.

 

[rikki_t]

Gotta be worth the price just so you can go around at parties saying "My name............ is Michael Cane"

 

[gpat]

So that's why Macs start from 16GB RAM now.
Because he was looking elsewhere and somebody else adjusted the numbers while he was distracted.

 

[vegetassj4]

Tim Apple is testing the prototype himself

 

[klasma]

Looks like Apple will continue to have the wrong priorities for the next couple of years.

 

[Sykora171]

Maybe i'm out of touch, but is there actually a market for these kinds of things? I try to stay OFF my phone as much as possible, so at least for me, wearing a device on my face definitely doesn't have an appeal.

I would MUCH rather them take more time to crush bugs in their software. We have strayed SO far from "it just works".

 

[Billy_Bob]

Remember, if these glasses will be operated via Siri, all the hardware advancements in the world won't save them.

 

[Rychiar]

Maybe i'm out of touch, but is there actually a market for these kinds of things? I try to stay OFF my phone as much as possible, so at least for me, wearing a device on my face definitely doesn't have an appeal.

I would MUCH rather them take more time to crush bugs in their software. We have strayed SO far from "it just works".

Most people are on their phones as much as possible and would love glasses to make the experience more seamlesss

 

[SilmarilFinder]

Cook has apparently made the glasses a "top priority" for the company. "Tim cares about nothing else," Gurman quotes a person with knowledge of the matter as saying. "It's the only thing he's really spending his time on from a product development standpoint."

Isn't it too obvious that he cares about nothing? At least we now know what he's been wasting his time and company resources on.

 

[clg82]

And all of you say foldables are a useless thing for Apple to be wasting their time on lol

 

[kwl]

Maybe i'm out of touch, but is there actually a market for these kinds of things? I try to stay OFF my phone as much as possible, so at least for me, wearing a device on my face definitely doesn't have an appeal.

I would MUCH rather them take more time to crush bugs in their software. We have strayed SO far from "it just works".

I think there is a market for digitally augmented experiences in the real world, I just believe it will be a hurculean task akin to rebulding the internet.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

Most people are on their phones as much as possible and would love glasses to make the experience more seamlesss

Plenty of people are on their phones, but that doesn't mean they want AR glasses to match. Some do, but I wouldn't say most. Many don't like wearing glasses, but do because they have to...there is a reason contacts are so popular.

I want less screens in my life, personally.

 

[swm]

surprise hit? on what market?
I mean, what's the promise of these things? replacing the smartphone (as someone said)?
I think this would be some greasy bite for every OEM as stuff like that has to be personalised for the user to account for eyesight. but this would be an immerse challenge to get the logistics right.
so long story short, smartphones are a success because everyone can use the very same product. having 5 models and altogether a colour choice of 10-ish is no big deal to get the supplies straight. you walk in, choose the size and colour combination, pay, leave. easy-peasy.
do this for a lot of people with wildly different eyesight disorders, diopter values, cylinder numbers - and it becomes a logistics nightmare. personalised manufacturing, tight tolerances, integration, lead times - exactly the opposite.

you scratch or break the lens, you cannot just walk to the nearest optometrist and get a replacement.
and most of all, going through this much stuff in order to get what? hovering advertisements wherever you look?

 

[rp2011]

Perfect. Now we're talking. Something dorkier and more esoteric to sell even worse than Vision Pro. Yep, now we're cooking with meth

 

[applepotato666]

Tim cares about nothing else,

We could tell. People don't love wearing glasses, I don't see anything without mine and still would rather that than have to wear them.

 

[Aeronauts]

I hate having to wear reading glasses. I certainly would not wear AR glasses.

 

[Pitogyro]

If find it very hard to believe Cook is interested in any product.

 

[thiscatisfat]

That's cool, I respect that. That's the drive that has been seemingly missing over at Apple for the last 10 years or so. This is how we got iPods, iPhones - almost obsession to deliver a ground breaking product that will change the world. Way to go Cookie!

 

[rizzo41999]

Not surprising. Tim lost face with the Apple Vision Pro. In my opinion, Mark was totally living in his head. AR glasses, are amazing and appeal to the masses, so let's hope we see some momentum from Apple, here.