Apple’s Vision Pro struggles with high price and limited apps, prompting a shift in focus.
Two smart glasses in development: an iPhone-linked version (N50) and a display-equipped model.
Meta remains ahead with its Ray-Ban AI glasses, already gaining strong traction since 2021.
Apple reportedly has changed the plans putting its planned Vision Pro revamp on hold, in order to accelerate development of smart glasses to take on the Meta’s growing smart glasses lineup. According to Mark Gurman’s Bloomberg report, the company has reassigned engineers who were working on lighter, more affordable versions of the Vision Pro, originally planned for 2027, to focus on glasses.
SurveyWhy did Apple put hold to plans?
The report further added that Apple has struggled to build momentum around the Vision Pro since its debut last year due to the expensive $3,499. However, the headset was praised for its engineering but criticised for being bulky, expensive, and short on apps. Internal discussions have reportedly acknowledged the shortcomings, with executives conceding that the device is too complex to succeed with everyday consumers.
What’s next?
Now, as per the reports, Apple is prioritising two types of glasses: The first, codenamed N50, will connect to an iPhone and forgo its own display, making it a lighter and more affordable product. The company aims to announce this model as early as next year, with a market release targeted for 2027. The second product will be a more advanced version and will include a built-in display to directly compete with Meta’s recently launched Ray-Ban Display AI glasses. Originally expected around 2028, Apple is now racing to bring this product forward.
These glasses are said to come with voice controls, onboard speakers, cameras, and possibly health tracking sensors, all powered by a new chip. Apple is also working on AI to make glasses a better choice with Siri.
Despite the renewed focus, Apple lags behind Meta, which entered the market in 2021 with Ray-Ban Stories and has since gained surprising traction with subsequent models. The most recent Meta glasses add displays, improved cameras, and AI features at a fraction of the Vision Pro’s cost.
While Apple has not abandoned the Vision Pro entirely, its next steps indicate a growing belief that lightweight, AI-powered glasses, rather than enclosed headsets, are the future of personal technology, the report added.
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Ashish Singh
Ashish Singh is the Chief Copy Editor at Digit. He's been wrangling tech jargon since 2020 (Times Internet, Jagran English '22). When not policing commas, he's likely fueling his gadget habit with coffee, strategising his next virtual race, or plotting a road trip to test the latest in-car tech. He speaks fluent Geek. View Full Profile
