Apple Reportedly Developing Smart Glasses to Rival Meta's Ray-Bans

Apple is reportedly aiming to launch smart glasses designed with broader mass-market appeal than its Vision Pro headset. The company intends to pour some of the billion dollar R&D investment from the Vision Pro's visual intelligence into more products, including smart glasses to rival Meta's Ray-Ban models, according to a new Bloomberg report. The products are expected to launch in 2027. 

The report also noted that Apple continues to develop AirPods with outward facing cameras to experiment both with visual intelligence features.

The news comes as Apple faces challenges with its costly $3,500 Vision Pro headset remaining a niche product. Meta's AR spectacles, which recently received an AI upgrade, were met with solid reviews. The product starts at $299.

Apple is also working to drop the price of the Vision Pro by offering a lower-end model with a less advanced chip and features for nearly half the cost, the report said.

Apple has spent time in recent years chasing existing, buzzy technologies, from mixed-reality headsets to AI features, rather than getting ahead of the curve. With Apple's rumored smart glasses not expected to launch for a few years, Meta is poised to establish dominance in the space, particularly as it continues to refine the hardware and software and expand its ecosystem of services. 

Meanwhile, Apple is expected to launch its much-anticipated Vision Intelligence AI features for iPhone later in October in an effort to compete against rival phones that already include similar tools.