The large, bulky, and expensive mixed-reality headsets will eventually be replaced by a pair of smart glasses, and Apple intends to deliver the same experience while making the device comfortable to wear and less distracting to the surrounding people. To begin its quest to develop its pair of smart spectacles, the technology giant typically holds on-campus focus groups to understand consumers’ feelings about the current market.
This approach was carried out with the AirPods, HomePod, and Apple Vision Pro, with the company now performing it again for its future smart glasses. While the newest report hints that the initiation phase has kicked off in delivering Apple’s strict AR experience for this device, the effort could last at least five years.
The Apple Vision Pro experience could be ‘squeezed’ into a glasses form, but it will take several years for a quality product to arrive
It is safe to say that these smart glasses are not launching any time soon, and even though Apple has been beaten by companies like Meta and Snap, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has mentioned in his latest ‘Power On’ newsletter that these devices are ‘too rough.’ Apple was never notorious for adopting the newest standards first or obtaining bragging rights in delivering a new product category, but it has tried its best to create something noteworthy to the point that successor after successor can be launched.
“The company typically limits these focus groups to employees to help keep its plans secret. With smart glasses, the company could approach the category from a number of directions. That includes essentially creating a version of its AirPods in glasses form. It also could push to finally make true AR glasses — taking the Vision Pro experience and squeezing it into a pair of spectacles that people could wear all day.
But we’re probably at least five years away from an AR experience that would meet Apple’s quality requirements. Meta and Snap have prototypes of such a product, and they too are still rough. I’ve tried them both, and they’re not as far along as some reviewers would lead you to believe. In other words, you’ll need to wait awhile before there’s something worth buying.”
It is possible that Apple will launch a pair of smart glasses that function while connected to an iPhone first, as it will help remove some of the computing overhead from the wearable to deliver a fluid experience. Of course, the California-based firm’s end goal would be to launch a standalone pair of smart spectacles, but at this stage, the technology has yet to mature. For instance, these glasses require a chipset that performs equivalent to an A18 Pro but consumes 10 percent of its power. Naturally, more advanced lithography has to be introduced before Apple realizes its vision, but that does not mean it will not make the required efforts.
About the author: Omar Sohail is a reporter and analyst for Wccftech's mobile section, specializing in the technology and business of the mobile industry. His expertise lies in the intricate hardware supply chain, covering developments in semiconductor manufacturing, chip lithography, and camera sensor technology.
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