While I haven’t bought the Apple Vision Pro, I’m still a fan of what Apple is doing here because I think the spatial computer debuted key technologies that will lead to the actual head-worn wearable I want: A pair of AR Apple Glasses that might eventually replace the iPhone.
Rumors say that we have a long wait ahead of us before true Apple Glasses become a reality. Apple needs tons of progress with the tech involved before it can create the product it wants. Meta recently showcased the bulky Orion concept of AR glasses that cost $10,000 to make. That’s another clear hint that Apple Glasses will take a while to get here. We need a pair of AR glasses that look much more like regular glasses before consumers will actually adopt them.
Other rumors say that Apple is studying the possibility of developing smart glasses that look like Meta’s Ray-Ban. Those aren’t AR glasses, however. Intead, they just have a camera and Meta AI support. Samsung is expected to unveil a similar gadget in the coming months.
Apple will never confirm work on future products, though it might tease that’s where we’re heading. That’s what Tim Cook did in a recent interview when asked whether Apple Glasses are coming after the Vision Pro.
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Here’s the actual exchange between Tim Cook and Wired’s Steven Levy:
Wired: Meta and Snap are leading us to mixed-reality glasses that we’d wear continually. Is the bigger, heavier Vision Pro ultimately headed that way?
Tim Cook: Yes, it’s a progression over time in terms of what happens with form factors. AR is a huge deal. With Vision Pro, we’ve progressed to what is clearly the most advanced technology we’ve ever done, and I think, the most advanced technology in the world in terms of electronics problems. We’ll see where it goes.
Tim Cook did not confirm that the tech inside its Vision Pro will eventually shrink down to fit inside Apple Glasses. He offered the obvious answer any CEO would have given, considering the question. Yes, the Vision Pro is a stepping stone towards something better. His “we’ll see where it goes” is the hedge you’d expect from an exec dealing with this question.
Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. Image source: Jonathan S. Geller
I’ve included the question in full because of how it’s framed. Levy asks Cook whether smart glasses like the ones Meta and Snap sell are leading us to mixed-reality glasses that we’d wear continuously. But neither Meta nor Snap have such products. Instead, the two social networks sell smart glasses that are significantly less sophisticated than the Vision Pro. They’re not mixed-reality devices.
Put differently, Apple has developed the tech it needs for Apple Glasses with the Vision Pro. Apple now has to shrink it down to fit inside a pair of normal glasses.
Apple developing a smart glasses product that would support genAI, like Meta’s glasses, would allow Apple to work on the glasses chassis that might one day feature more advanced capabilities that would trickle down from the Vision Pro. There’s no telling how long it’ll take for Apple to come out with Apple Intelligence-ready Apple Glasses.
Cook also addressed questions about lower-than-expected Vision Pro sales in the same interview saying the device is a success.
“It’s an early adopter product, for people who want tomorrow’s technology today,” Cook said. “Those people are buying it, and the ecosystem is flourishing. The ultimate test for us is the ecosystem. I don’t know if you’re using it very much, but I’m on there all the time. I see new apps all the time.”
