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Apple Stops Work on Lighter Vision Pro to Fast-Track AI Smart Glasses

even if Mark Zuckerberg is not Steve Jobs and the presentation was a disgrace, the products are amazing. I have owned RayBan Metas since 2021 and I just bought the new Oakley HSTN and Wayfarer Gen 2. The Meta Display looks great but not for me at the moment. Still, amazing innovation and quality.
Apple is once agin late to the game...
 
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Corefile said:
It feels like Apple are just running in random directions some of the time. Do they even have a business strategy? Tim Apple, what will YOU be doing in five years time?
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Tim Cook’s business strategy is to maximize profits, even if that means not innovating. Cook will support innovation only in cases where he thinks it’ll lead to massive profits. If he thinks massive profits will come from using old technology—even tech that is over one or two decades old—he will do that. Case in point:
forums.macrumors.com

Will iPhone 14 be USB 2.0? Probably, since Cook is mediocre.

Apple computers have had USB 3.0 since mid-2012. That is 10 years ago. Despite that, Tim Cook, being the mediocre beancounter MBA suit that he is, has still not done anything to upgrade the connectivity on the latest iPhones. The latest iPhones use the same USB 2.0 connectivity that shipped with...
forums.macrumors.com forums.macrumors.com
 
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hieranonymous said:
The Meta glasses are a surprisingly decent piece of kit once you disable all the creepy Meta AI cruft. An Apple analogue (headphones plus camera) with AirPods-like system integration would be a considerable improvement.

Apple should have anticipated, rather than been caught off guard by, the recent popularity of smart glasses.
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the Rayban metas are the BEST vacation capture device... So easy and so quick.
I just bought the new Gen 2 with double the battery and 3K video which is great because the battery life on the first model was very bad.
 
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deconstruct60 said:
How do you shoehorn into a form factor that doesn’t exist yet ?

The current Vision Pro basic form factor exists. The headband was a modular replacement in the first place. A new circuit board with updated chips does require hanrdy any “product design” contributions at all .
The “Air” thing does require lots of product external design of the basic chassis.

Some clone of the Meta Ray-bans does not need huge product design either. There are hundreds of existing eyeglass frames out there . The design team doesn’t have to go off wandering on a dream quest as to what should go into the design.

Make the rims/frame incrementally thicker to hold battery and stuff the rough equivalent of some AirPods in there . And basically almost done. Pull a small selfie camera from an old phone and put into the temple area . There is no display. Most compute can be pushed to watch or phone.


Apple isn’t coming for Meta Display. It is the version that has been out for a long while now .
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Ah, I was just randomly speculating.

As we know, previous rumours were that Apple were developing a ‘Pro’ headset and a lighter/smaller ‘Air’ headset and the ‘Glasses’ So perhaps the Pro headset will inherit some of the R&D that’s gone into the Air. I know it’s not a product we’ve seen yet, but these things likely exist in some manner inside Apples R&D labs.

I’m just excited to see an Apple headset that’s more the size of a BigScreen Beyond
 
I find it highly unlikely that Apple saw Meta's presentation and then decided to action such a large pivot. No doubt both are in development.
 
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I think this is the right move. A little surprising that Apple isn't funding R&D to continue both projects but if they only chase the one then this seems like the right one.

No interest in the Meta glasses specifically but Apple entering the market with a 2nd gen or 3rd gen product could be interesting.
 
This means VP is dead. Thank god. I had a feeling VP would flop from the start. The whole keynote felt off, they positioned VP wrong and VR as a category just hasn’t proven itself beyond niche gaming. Even there, it's struggled to gain real traction. I’m not sure what Tim was thinking. He should’ve taken Jony Ive’s advice and focused on developing glasses. If the glasses weren’t ready yet, they should’ve waited or at least positioned VP differently. Instead of marketing it as a lifestyle product with gimmicks like the external display and an high price tag, Apple could have made it as a good Mac display and Apple TV entertainment device that works best when attached to a Mac or connected to an Apple TV. Also pricing it closer to the Studio Display would’ve made far more sense. Right now, it feels like Apple doesn’t have a coherent long term vision behind any product. Just a rushed attempt to catch up. Is this how 90s Apple felt like?
 
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deconstruct60 said:
Most folks don’t even want to wear glasses with ZERO. Electronics/battery weight
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Demonstrably false and these numbers don’t include people who wear glasses as a fashion accessory only:

  • A recent YouGov survey reports that 48 % of U.S. adults rely solely on prescription glasses (i.e. they do not also use contact lenses).
  • The same YouGov data indicates 12 % alternate between glasses and contacts, and 3 % rely only on contacts.
  • The Vision Council’s organizational summary states that 166.5 million U.S. adults (63.7 %) wear prescription eyeglasses (though this includes all eyeglass wearers, some of whom might also use contacts)
  • A much older CDC report (1960–62) found ~60 % of adults reported wearing glasses (not strictly excluding contacts, but contacts were much less common then).
From the YouGov survey:
  • ~48 % of adults wear only glasses
  • ~12 % alternate (so some fraction of those wear glasses part‑time)
  • ~3 % use only contacts
So combining “glasses only” and “alternate” gives ~60 % who wear glasses at least some of the time (not exclusively).

But by all means, keep making generalizations that nobody wants to wear glasses with no evidence to back it up.

If that were true the vast majority of people who need glasses and could wear contacts, would wear contacts and contacts alone when they could and there wouldn’t be glasses available as fashion accessories that have no corrective effect on vision.

Then factor in people who wear sunglasses just about everywhere when it’s warm and sunny, even inside. I see people do that frequently in restaurants, in stores, etc. in the summer. Now I live by the water so I’m sure I see more of it, but I’m not on the coast or by the Great Lakes or shy other massive body of water, just in an area with a good chunk of smaller residential sports lakes, but I see people in town all the time who are wearing sunglasses in the summer indoors at restaurants, while shopping, etc, downtown and downtown is nowhere near any lakes. The same is just as true in adjacent towns without the density of lakes we have in my area.

So there’s that too. AR glasses will be a hit. Meta knows it and so does Apple or this wouldn’t be an all hands on deck situation, which it clearly is for Apple at the moment.

Better luck next time …
 
JPack said:
Tim Cook turns 65 this year. He needed a halo product to mark his legacy. Apple was betting on high risk, high reward. They loaded Vision Pro with tech with the hopes competitors wouldn't be able to match it. While that was true, Apple failed to realize people don't want to be loners wearing a headset with no killer app.
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Biggest selling watch ever? I think that's a halo product.
 
turbineseaplane said:
Took the words right out of my mouth.

Everything other than iPhone Air is just a super conservative chip bump all the time now.
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Even with the iPhone Air, what was that? They didn’t give us a single compelling reason why it exists. No use cases, no vision, no why. The Air should have been a one more thing moment, but they completely missed the mark. Instead of showing us how the iPhone Air makes using an iPhone better, they introduced it and then immediately pivoted to talking about a battery pack. What does that tell customers? Apple doesn’t have confidence in the device, and it's likely just a vehicle to sell overpriced accessories with high margins. The whole presentation felt more like a polished infomercial. Maybe it’s the pre recorded format that sucks the excitement out of these events, or maybe Apple has simply lost the ability to position new products.
 
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MacRumors said:


Apple has decided to stop work on a cheaper, lighter version of the $3,499 Vision Pro to instead focus its resources on smart glasses, reports Bloomberg. Apple wants to speed up development on a glasses product to better compete with Meta.

Apple-Galsses-Feature-Redux-2.5.jpg

There were rumors that Apple was developing a a much lighter, more affordable "Vision Air" for launch in 2027, but Apple is now transitioning engineers from that project to its smart glasses project.

Apple is working on a set of smart glasses that will rival Meta's AI-equipped Ray-Bans. The glasses will include cameras, microphones, and AI capabilities. Apple could introduce the glasses as soon as next year, and then launch them in 2027.

There won't be a display in the first version of the glasses, but Apple is developing another model that will include an integrated display. Apple wanted to debut the version with a display in 2028, but it is now aiming to speed up development because Meta just recently announced the Meta Ray-Ban Display AI glasses.

The Meta-Ray Ban Display glasses include a full-color, high-resolution display in one of the lenses. The display is able to display messages, photos, and information from Meta AI. Meta's glasses look similar to regular glasses despite the added screen, and they are the first step toward Meta's "Orion" augmented reality glasses. Meta unveiled its AR glasses last year, showing off thick pair of glasses with dual AR displays. Both Apple and Meta are aiming to launch lightweight augmented reality glasses in the future.

meta-ai-glasses.jpg

Meta's Ray-Ban Display​

Meta has come out with several variations of the Meta Ray-Bans since 2023, and the company has a more advanced AI product than Apple does. Apple's smart glasses will rely on AI and voice-based commands, which will require the next-generation version of Siri.

Apple delayed Siri after the assistant didn't meet expectations for promised Apple Intelligence features in iOS 18, but an updated version of Siri built on new architecture is expected in spring 2026.

Apple plans to release its first smart glasses with multiple material and frame options, turning them into a fashion accessory. Buyers will be able to choose their preferred color and frame style. The glasses will have an Apple-designed chip inside, but will still be reliant on a connected iPhone. Other features will include cameras, microphones, and health tracking capabilities.

While work on a lighter version of the Vision Pro has been paused for now, Apple still plans to refresh the current model with an M5 chip later this year.

Article Link: Apple Stops Work on Lighter Vision Pro to Fast-Track AI Smart Glasses
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Apple may be late to this game, but at least they aren't juicing data out of your eyes to be sold.
 
JPack said:
Finally a move from Apple that makes sense.

Vision Pro has been a train wreck from the start. There's no killer app, it's expensive, and most importantly, it failed the social acceptance test. Nobody wants to walk around wearing scuba goggles. A lighter version of Vision Pro still has the same problems - hip battery back, loner experience, lack of social acceptance. Nobody wants to pay $1,999 for that.

Glasses are at least socially acceptable.
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Are glasses with an embedded camera socially acceptable?

The Meta Display glasses are chonkier than almost all normal glasses, and probably pushing past the limits of acceptability for most.

If the choices are:
  1. Socially unacceptable in public, but not absurdly thicker than normal glasses, with maybe a bit more functionality than AirPods (but worse audio)
  2. Socially unacceptable in public, and look nothing like glasses, but have the functionality of a typical computer
Why is choice 1 better?
 
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I like tech quite a lot, BUT even at $399, I would not buy this thing; not interested in strapping a heavy device to my face.
Not even really interested in strapping *any* device to my face. Not when I already have a computer, TV, iPad, phone…million ways to consume content already.
Smart glasses are a *maybe - but if people think I’ve got a cameras pointing at them through my specs then that will also be socially unacceptable.
 
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Jensend said:
Are glasses with an embedded camera socially acceptable?

The Meta Display glasses are chonkier than almost all normal glasses, and probably pushing past the limits of acceptability for most.

If the choices are:
  1. Socially unacceptable in public, but not absurdly thicker than normal glasses, with maybe a bit more functionality than AirPods (but worse audio)
  2. Socially unacceptable in public, and look nothing like glasses, but have the functionality of a typical computer
Why is choice 1 better?
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Simply using my phone is better.
I would buy neither.
 
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I thought stole was working on both a lighter Apple vision and smart glasses.

So they weren't? Wtf?
 
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