Apple ramps up smart glasses project as it looks past Vision Pro

With Vision Pro failing to set the market alight-and being officially labeled as “not a mass-market product”–the big question is how Apple plans to build a commercially viable product in the VR/AR space, if that’s even possible. Ultimately, the most appealing option for a mainstream audience would probably be a slimline pair of glasses with smart tech built in, but the state of technology and Apple’s own developments mean this isn’t likely to appear for some years yet.

There are signs of progress, however. In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, knowledgeable Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman claims that Apple recently commenced focus-group research to explore its options in the smart glasses market, in a sign of real intent. (This follows what was described as a technology investigation earlier this year.) Such groups previously preceded the launch of the AirPods and HomePod, and Vision Pro itself.

Rather than seek opinion from the public, Apple restricts focus group discussions to its own employees. This might seem less illuminating, but enables the company to keep a lid on future developments and prevent them from reaching the media… in theory. It isn’t clear how Gurman obtained his information on the proceedings in this case.

The groups have been discussing their feelings about currently available smart glasses, which include products from Snap and Meta. Apple is behind in this market, as it is so often–one of Cook’s mantras is “Not first, but best”–but those companies haven’t cracked the formula yet. Indeed, as Gurman observes, their products are far more limited in terms of AR functionality than what Apple is planning.

So the question becomes this: should Apple pursue its own more ambitious plan, and attempt to reproduce Vision Pro’s capabilities in a far smaller chassis? Or should it simply create “a version of its AirPods in glasses form,” as Gurman puts it? That’s the dilemma which the focus groups are intended to solve.

Whatever conclusion is reached, we won’t officially know about it for some time. Gurman says five years is the minimum before Apple is able to create a “true AR” set of smart glasses that meets its expectations. But Apple isn’t alone in this, with Meta and Snap experiencing similar issues with their own prototypes. Wherever the market is going, it isn’t going there yet.