Apple smart glasses still a distant possibility as Apple considers its wearables future
Apple is still working out how it can press forward with wearable devices, with it considering a possible switch away from bulky Apple Vision Pro headset instead creating the fabled Apple Glass by 2030.
Optimistic renders of what Apple Glass could look like
The wearable device ambitions of Apple are somewhat troubled, with the Apple Vision Pro considered a commercial flop in its first release. While it has other ways it can progress forward on the concept, it's still taking time to work out the best way forward.
In Sunday's Bloomberg newsletter, Mark Gurman writes that Apple is at least looking into different form factors. After axing its project to create AR glasses as an external Mac display earlier in 2025, Apple is now thinking about standalone AR glasses once again.
The report predicts that it could be three to five years before Apple manages to create a commercial version.
Apple is also thought to be coming up with its own variation of the Meta Ray-Ban glasses. As a device, it won't have AR capabilities, but could still offer other elements including cameras, microphones, audio, and AI.
There is also the ongoing project to incorporate cameras into AirPods, which can help bolster its AI efforts.
Massive hurdles to overcome
To create any sort of smart glasses like Apple Glass, Apple has to work around multiple issues with design. That includes somehow making the glasses lightweight enough to not be bulky or heavy, while still retaining additional functionality.
For something that could contain a battery to power all the extra hardware, this can be a challenge, even without a display.
It has multiple offices working on the concept, including studying the appeal of various features that could be incorporated. Internal testing has also been occurring for years, though in very hushed secrecy, even for Apple.
Back in 2017, an Apple Environment Health and Safety contractor report revealed someone needed "medical treatment beyond first aid" after testing a prototype. It was a very rare revelation that eyewear was being worked on within Apple's offices.
While the project to create a lightweight pair of smart spectacles is a challenge that's years in the making, it at least has the best champion within Apple.
At one time, CEO Tim Cook believed that creating AR glasses was the way forward instead of VR glasses. An approach of superimposing images on a real-world view was better in a non-isolating way compared to a headset like Apple Vision Pro.
Billions of research dollars later, Apple is still working on the problem. It's just something that could take years before a commercialized solution becomes available to purchase.
Rumor Score: Possible
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Comments
I know certain people on this forum like to call AVP a failure, but in the one year it's been out it's been a success in ways I thought would take years to achieve.
https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/1c8laz0/apple_vision_pro_used_to_assist_doctor_during/
Any type of AR glasses are still heavier than normal glasses and rest on the bridge of the nose. It would be better if they can eliminate the weight on the face with a visor form factor that sits in front of the eyes with no pressure on the face:
Moving away from the ski goggles form factor shouldn't take 3-5 years. Moving the compute parts and dropping EyeSight would let them reach the size of the more compact VR headsets.
Dyson made a set of headphones with an air purifier that sits in front of the face that can swivel out the way. This would just need to be an AR visor instead and they can make this just now, launch in 2026:
Please explain where you’re devising your “should take” estimate? I’m really curious how you’ve determined it should be possible to lift & shift all of AVP’s tech into something smaller, as right now it sounds like you’ve just pulled that number out of the ether.
Putting a visor in front of the face wouldn’t block out light, so it would fail for VR applications. Perhaps for AR it would work, but I’d argue your concept would look no less ridiculous. Right now the AVP does AR amazingly well because you get near total field of view with their high-end display and cameras. You’re back to the same problem of miniaturization. I’m sure it will all get there one day, but this notion that it should only take a few years to put this into a very small form factor is detached from our reality.
A suspended visor doesn't need any cushions to hold the weight. It would still need to block light for immersive content but this wouldn't be a load-bearing cushion so would be much thinner and lighter.
It's not so much miniaturization as changing the form factor to distribute the weight differently and that will in turn reduce the bulk of the product. There will be some opportunities to reduce size in a revision 2 model from tech advances too.
Other companies are making lighter visors already. This one is just 186g with 4K displays, AVP is 600-650g:
This design still puts the weight on the nose but that weight is light enough to be suspended. This form factor looks nicer than the above AVP form factor and Apple can make it look even nicer with a more modern design. One option could even be to have the lenses swivel in over each eye separately (image 2). Images 1 and 4 are probably the most practical form factors but all look nicer than the bulky headset form factor:
We are so very far away from that being a reality that it's silly to talk to about.
There are 3rd party straps that turn AVP into a suspended unit:
https://annapro.com/products/comfort-head-strap-for-apple-vision-pro
This is to avoid the face pressure with the normal cushions, shown above in the left image. The weight at the front is 600-650g so still needs heavy cushions with the suspended design.
The part at the front would be modified to only be a display component like the lightweight VR headsets that are under 200g, everything else is relocated. Then the cushions can be less bulky.
If they have plans to significantly reduce the weight of the product in its current form factor, that form factor could work out but if there's no easy way to reduce the bulk, they'd be better with a different design.