Apple's AR/VR Roadmap: From Vision Pro to Smart Glasses

Apple's Visions of the future: Four new products in the works

From Vision Pro 2 to AirPods with cameras, lots of AR and VR products are coming down the pipe. Vision Pro may be off to a slow start, but a new report claims Apple isn't about to let it languish for too long. In fact, a more affordable model might be coming next year. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports in the latest issue of his Power On newsletter that Apple is working on a total of four new AR/VR products to complement or replace the Vision Pro, which has been only moderately successful to date. As early as next year, Apple will be offering a much more affordable Vision headset than the Vision Pro, which is currently available for $3,499. The price of the cheaper model should be around $2,000, the price of a decently specced 14-inch MacBook Pro. To get down to that price Apple wants to make savings on the screens-on both sides of the lenses. For example, the cheaper Vision will have to manage without EyeSight, the clever but imperfect feature that projects an image of the wearer's eyes on an external screen, and it won't match the original model's exceptionally high resolution on the interior displays. Apple also wants to cut back on the chip; instead of an M2 as in the Vision Pro, an iPhone processor such as the current A18 will be used. The company also wants to save on materials, but this could have the pleasant side-effect of making the headset lighter. In a way, this is reminiscent of the iPod's evolution 20 years ago: the first models were expensive niche products for Apple's core clientele. It was only with the iPod mini in 2004 and even more so with the iPod nano in 2005 that things really took off. On the other hand, the iPod was also a self-explanatory product, and it's not always clear why you need a Vision Pro. It may not be selling well in the wider consumer market, but Vision Pro does seem to be popular among business users. And Apple seems keen to continue developing the premium model for this discerning target group rather than withdrawing it from the range when the cheaper version arrives (as happened, at least temporarily, to the HomePod when the HomePod mini launched). There will be a second-gen Vision Pro at some point. Gurman admits he doesn't know much about this device just yet: just that the second generation will be released in 2026, and use a faster chip. This should be at least an M4 by then, and could even be an M5. Either way, we should be looking at noticeable speed advantages over the M2. The new version will also presumably have 8GB of RAM to support Apple Intelligence. Ultimately, however, the mass market does not appear especially interested in bulky headsets with high-performance chips. A more appealing prospect would be a simpler set of AR glasses that can show you films or games, step-by-step routes, or real-time translations of conversations. Meta recently presented just such a device with the Orion, while glasses such as the Imiki AR Glasses from Meizu could already be seen in action at IFA. Apple is clearly lagging behind the market here, but the company is expected to have AR glasses ready for the market by 2027, which will be able to "scan the environment around a user and supply useful data," not unlike the upcoming Visual Intelligence features for the iPhone 16's Camera Control button. . By that point, Apple should also have established its generative AI system, Apple Intelligence. Most iPhones used in three years should then be able to offer functions together with the glasses that the competition is already promising today, and at affordable prices. Finally, Gurman reported on a fourth AR/VR product that Apple was working on back in the spring of this year: a new camera-equipped version of the AirPods. What sounds crazy at first glance should, however, prove to be useful. Apple has developed a system for the Vision Pro that scans the wearer's surroundings and displays useful information. Or in the case of the AirPods, possibly announces it. The camera-equipped AirPods are not expected to be ready for the market until 2027, but upcoming features on the iPhone 16 should offer a foretaste of optical scanning. AirPods with optical sensors could also be useful for the acoustic perception of the surroundings, as Ming-Chi Kuo explained this summer: AirPods of this kind could recognize more gestures and amplify sound sources that their users point to, for example.

Apple Developing $2,000 Vision Headset, Meta Ray-Ban Glasses Rival

(Credit: Miguel Candela/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) Apple is working on four new AR/VR products including two new Vision headsets and a Meta Ray-Ban glasses rival, Bloomberg reports. The Apple Vision Pro saw relatively low demand when it launched earlier this year -- largely because of its hefty $3,500 price tag. Now, Apple's Vision Products Group is hoping to produce a hit with a slightly cheaper Vision headset without the "Pro" designation that costs $2,000. To get to this lower price for customers, Apple is using cheaper materials and eliminating a few key features like EyeSight, which lets users display their eyes on the outer part of the headset. With the toned-down version, Bloomberg says Apple expects to drive up sales by at least twice that of the first-generation Vision Pro. Apple is also developing a competitor for the Meta Ray-Ban Smart Glasses, which have a lightweight design and a $299 price tag. It may launch its rival glasses in 2027, according to the report. It'll have to compete with Meta's Orion Smart Glasses as well as future Ray-Ban collaborations, as Meta has extended its partnership with Ray-Ban for another ten years. Apple is also reportedly working on a second-generation Vision Pro and AirPods with cameras. The rumored AirPods will use visual intelligence from the Vision Pro to scan surroundings and provide useful information to the wearer. Apple's suite of AI software features, Apple Intelligence, is expected to launch with iOS 18.1 for compatible devices later this month.

Apple's future products could include affordable smart glasses and IoT devices

Rumor mill: It seems that Apple has some interesting home automation and wearable products launching in the next few years, including a pair of lightweight and affordable smart glasses that could debut in 2027. Cupertino is also rumored to be creating a new homeOS platform, based on tvOS, to power its upcoming IoT devices, which include a smart display and a high-end digital tabletop. In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman writes that Apple is doubling down on its smart home efforts by moving some members of its ill-fated EV division to a new Home Ecosystem team to ramp up its smart home portfolio, helping the company compete against the likes of Amazon and Meta. As part of its plans, Apple is reportedly working on an affordable smart display with an "iPad-like screen" that could stream content via Apple TV+. It would also offer FaceTime and web browsing, and enable access to apps like Calendar and Notes. Another product in the pipeline is a smart "tabletop," meant for high-end videoconferencing and media playback. It will focus on home security monitoring, and will use AI "to sense who is looking at the screen, what people are doing, and who is speaking." The device is expected to be priced around $1,000. In addition to the smart home automation products, Apple is said to be working on multiple smart glasses and VR headsets for release in the next few years. For starters, the company is prepping a pair of smart glasses that could launch in 2027. It is designed to be lightweight and affordable, and will likely be positioned as a direct competitor to Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses. Another notable product that Apple's Vision Products Group is working on is a cheaper version of the Vision Pro. According to Gurman, this particular device would retail for around $2,000 and will likely hit store shelves early next year. Apple is expecting to sell twice as many units of this device as the Vision Pro, which was a rare failure for Apple, thanks largely to its $3,500 price tag. Elsewhere, Apple is working on the second-generation Vision Pro, which is expected to hit the market sometime in 2026. However, there's no specific information on whether Apple is considering a reduced price-tag this time around or if it will still be priced at a premium, which could once again limit its appeal among mainstream consumers. Finally, it's claimed that Apple is developing a pair of AirPods with built-in cameras. According to Gurman, the images and videos captured by the cameras will be processed using AI to "assist people in their daily routines." There's no word on when this will release and how much it will cost.

Apple Reportedly Developing Smart Glasses to Rival Meta's Ray-Bans

Samantha Kelly is a freelance writer with a focus on consumer technology, AI, social media, Big Tech, emerging trends and how they impact our everyday lives. Her work has been featured on CNN, NBC, NPR, the BBC, Mashable and more. Apple is reportedly aiming to launch smart glasses designed with broader mass-market appeal than its Vision Pro headset. The company intends to pour some of the billion dollar R&D investment from the Vision Pro's visual intelligence into more products, including smart glasses to rival Meta's Ray-Ban models, according to a new Bloomberg report. The products are expected to launch in 2027. The report also noted that Apple continues to develop AirPods with outward facing cameras to experiment both with visual intelligence features. The news comes as Apple faces challenges with its costly $3,500 Vision Pro headset remaining a niche product. Meta's AR spectacles, which recently received an AI upgrade, were met with solid reviews. The product starts at $299. Apple is also working to drop the price of the Vision Pro by offering a lower-end model with a less advanced chip and features for nearly half the cost, the report said. Apple has spent time in recent years chasing existing, buzzy technologies, from mixed-reality headsets to AI features, rather than getting ahead of the curve. With Apple's rumored smart glasses not expected to launch for a few years, Meta is poised to establish dominance in the space, particularly as it continues to refine the hardware and software and expand its ecosystem of services. Meanwhile, Apple is expected to launch its much-anticipated Vision Intelligence AI features for iPhone later in October in an effort to compete against rival phones that already include similar tools.

Apple smart glasses tipped to launch in 2027 to fight Meta with Visual Intelligence

Following up on a report from February this year, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman is doubling down on claims that Apple is developing new wearable products, suggesting that it could bring smart glasses and AirPods with cameras to market as early as 2027, as discussed in his latest Power On newsletter. Said to be a direct competitor to the popular Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, Apple's frames are expected to feature in-built cameras designed to work with its upcoming Visual Intelligence technology, set to debut on the iPhone 16 range in the near future. Essentially Apple's take on Google Lens, the Visual Intelligence tool will be used to scan objects and places, allowing users to instantly access information about their surrounding environment. For instance, an iPhone 16 owner could use their handset's camera to scan a restaurant to access menu information and user reviews. Gurman, a respected Apple insider, said that the Cupertino company is looking to "salvage the billions of dollars spent on the Vision Pro's visual intelligence technology, which can scan the environment around a user and supply useful data." In theory, Apple smart glasses seem like next logical step for this technology, as they would allow the user to simply look at an object and ask for more information about it. Presumably, the user would then receive the information via their iPhone screen or listen to a spoken response via their AirPods. And while it's hard to say how AirPods with cameras could benefit the average user, Gurman has previously stated that the rumored product "would give consumers many of the benefits of smart glasses without needing lenses and frames." Of course, if Gurman's report is to be believed, we're a few years out from seeing these products go on sale, we may have to settle for the Apple Intelligence features which are expected to arrive with iOS 18.2 in December. In the meantime, you can access similar features such as the ability to take photos, record video stories, and access an AI voice assistant via the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses.

Apple is hoping to one-up Meta with its own smart glasses | Digital Trends

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us? Apple has been stuck in an innovation rut for the past few years. Aside from the Vision Pro headset -- which expectedly didn't gain a mass reception -- the company hasn't made any notable hardware strides apart from its bread-and-butter mobility and computing portfolio. That could change in the next few years. According to Bloomberg, Apple's Vision Pro team is working on smart glasses to tackle the challenge presented by a resurgent Meta. The social media giant has already scored an early lead with the well-received Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses, which have steadily received meaningful social and AI upgrades. Recommended Videos Even more impressive was the showcase of Orion, the company's first true Augmented Reality (AR) glasses, a few weeks ago. These glasses rely on Micro LED projectors and optical-grade silicon carbide for their wide-view display unit, custom silicon, and multilayer sensory tracking -- all overlaid atop an AI-first software experience. It's arguably the "mainstream" XR tech that Apple should've made. Now, it seems Apple is eyeing just that in the long run, while treating the Vision Pro as the launch platform for its broader XR tech stack. "Into 2027, the team is considering launching smart glasses on par with the Meta Ray-Bans," reports Bloomberg. Notably, it seems Apple is chasing the same kind of world-understanding capabilities that are currently possible courtesy of generative AI tools like GPT-4o and Google Gemini. Meta's own work with AI has been nothing short of impressive, and it was on full showcase during its futuristic Orion presentation. For Apple, the inspiration would come from its pricey headset."The plan is to bring the Vision Pro's ability to understand its surroundings to more products," adds the report. But it's going to be a long wait until we see Apple's take on the smart glass category. The XR wearables industry is at somewhat of a pivotal point. On one hand, we have products like the Meta Quest 3s headset that are bringing premium features like color passthrough to a price point that is nearly one-tenth of what Apple commands for the Vision Pro. Then we have players like Xreal, Rokid, and RayNeo trying to make smart glasses that don't look like nerdy gizmos. Yet, at the same time, we have giants like Microsoft shutting the doors on ambitious XR products like the HoloLens despite being at the forefront of the AI race. It would be interesting to see just how Apple approaches its vision of smart glasses. But when it eventually pushes them to the market, it won't be alone. To its credit, if there's a hardware player that already has a solid software foundation to make such bold devices, it's Apple, which also makes it the prime bet for mainstream success.