Following reports of the cancellation of Apple’s AR glasses that were intended to connect to Macs, the company is still pursuing the development of a standalone AR glasses model. However, this endeavor may require more time to perfect, as indicated by Mark Gurman from Bloomberg.
At the end of last month, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman disclosed that Apple has abandoned its plans for an AR glasses device that would connect to Macs:
According to sources familiar with the situation, the company halted the project this week. The now-defunct product was designed to resemble regular glasses but would have featured integrated displays and necessitated a connection to a Mac. These individuals, who wished to remain anonymous due to the confidential nature of the work, noted that an Apple representative declined to comment.
While this news may seem disappointing, it isn’t as dire as it appears. The cancellation only relates to the tethered AR glasses, akin to the RayNeo Air 2S glasses that I reviewed recently. Apple’s version would likely have been of higher quality (and price), but the concept is similar.
Nonetheless, Apple’s hardware lead, John Ternus, is aiming to avoid another setback, according to Gurman. Thus, the company plans to carefully develop the standalone AR glasses, which are expected to be more comparable to Meta’s $10K prototype shown last year.
Apple continues to advance its efforts on standalone glasses, but this will take time. In the meantime, the Vision Products Group is actively developing essential technology for such a product:
It appears that John Ternus, the new leader of Apple’s Vision Products Group, is aiming to avoid another product failure. Therefore, he intends to proceed with caution. I am informed that Apple’s long-term vision for standalone AR glasses remains on track, as the company will continue refining foundational technology—such as displays and silicon—to make this device more practical.
However, irrespective of their advancements, the final product is projected to be at least 3-5 years away. The visionOS certainly provides a solid groundwork for AR glasses, so there’s hope that Apple will deliver something truly innovative.
What are your thoughts on this rumor? Share your opinions in the comments.
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