That cheaper Vision Pro you were waiting for? Don’t hold your breath. Apple reportedly shelved the project to redirect its focus on creating smart glasses to compete with Meta’s popular products.
Previous rumors indicated Apple would release a stripped-down version of its $3,499 Vision Pro headset by 2027. But Apple execs reportedly told employees last week that it’s putting the lighter, cheaper headset on the back burner.
Following the success of its Ray-Ban Meta glasses, Meta has launched its Ray-Ban Display glasses. This is a step up from its previous efforts, as the smart glasses feature a built-in display in the right lens.
The glasses come with a Neural Band that recognizes your hand movements and helps you navigate through the glasses’ UI.
As rumors continue to swirl about Apple’s potential entry into the smart glasses market, xMEMS Labs plans to unveil innovations that could address some of the biggest challenges facing next-generation wearable devices, the company said Tuesday. At September events it will roll out new xMEMS Labs smart glasses prototypes featuring ultra-thin speakers and active cooling technology that promise to make AI-powered eyewear more comfortable and practical for everyday use.
These affordable smart sunglasses come with a camera that lets you snap photos and record video. They also let you listen to music and podcasts, take phone calls, and even conjure up the AI wiles of ChatGPT via a simple voice command. And they cost less than a pair of earbuds!
Normally, these smart sunglasses would set you back $99.99. But right now, they’re on sale for just $69.99.
Here’s some encouraging news for Apple users eagerly awaiting the next generation of smart wearable — new technology could cool down overheating smart glasses. The world’s first active cooling system small enough to fit inside the frame of smart glasses arrives with µCooling fan-on-a-chip technology, xMEMS Labs said Tuesday.
That potentially addresses one of the biggest obstacles facing AR glasses projects like Apple’s rumored one. A sophisticated system in a frame generates heat against a user’s skin, and a passive heat sink may not dissipate it enough.
Apple makes the bestselling phone, smartwatch and wireless headphones, and is fantastically profitable as a result. But if it can’t develop the Next Big Thing, it could easily be out of business in 10 years. But there’s no cause for concern — Apple is already working on the product that’ll replace the iPhone: smart glasses.
Even better, Apple is taking two approaches for developing smart glasses, which should go a long way toward ensuring that it makes the definitive version of the must-have computer of the 2030s.
Apple wants to release its first entry in the emerging smart glasses category in 2026, according to information leaking out of the company Thursday. That’s a more aggressive launch window than previously rumored.
The AI-powered device reportedly will be able to handle many of the tasks people turn to an iPhone for now, and compete with the popular Ray-Ban Meta Glasses.
Apple could get into a new product category: smart glasses. A report surfaced on Thursday indicating that Apple is working on a chip to power glasses with built-in AI and cameras that could launch in the next couple of years.
With the company’s Visual Intelligence AI tool, a pair of smart glasses could identify objects for the wearer, get info on businesses, and explain to the user what it is they’re looking at.
Apple’s smart glasses are years from launch. But Meta plans to roll out a more sophisticated version of its popular Ray-Ban Meta glasses later this year.
It will reportedly support hand gestures and feature a screen to display pictures and apps.
It’s time for Apple to get into smart glasses. This is an emerging product category that combines AI, cameras and audio… three components that the iPhone-maker is either already expert at or is working hard to improve.
Apple Glasses could be critical for the company long term because it would be an important step toward someday making the Vision Pro AR headset into a viable product.
The new Solos AirGo Vision smart glasses released Tuesday pair with ChatGPT artificial intelligence as a direct competitor to Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses. Both cost a relatively affordable $300 or under. And the new entrant introduce several innovative features, including a modular design that addresses privacy concerns common with camera-equipped wearables.
“We promised to deliver on allowing consumers to have control of their experience with AI and smart technology, particularly with privacy options in mind,” said Solos co-founder Kenneth Fan. “That’s why we developed frames that can easily be changed to decide when and where a camera may be appropriate without sacrificing any of the fun features.”
Apple reportedly wants to repurpose some of the technology that went into its Vision Pro headset for simpler products. That includes a pair of smart glasses plus AirPods with IR cameras.
These could launch in 2027, with additions to the Vision headset line coming before then.
Facebook and Ray-Ban teamed up on a pair of smart glasses. It’s essentially a camera you wear on your face, making it a perfect example of what not to do with this type of product. They turn the wearer into a walking, talking privacy violation.
Apple is designing its own smart glasses. These better not have a camera or they’re dead on arrival.
Flows Bandwidth’s Bluetooth audio sunglasses let you listen to podcasts or take calls without blocking out the world around you. Despite speakers built into the stems, the men’s or women’s versions look like any other sunglasses. But they keep you entertained on the go.
I’ve worn these smart glasses for weeks. Here’s why I like them.
Despite Apple’s focus on ARKit and augmented reality, it’s yet to release the AR headset it is supposedly working on.
Tim Cook has previously said Apple will only do it when it can do so in “a quality way.” Snapchat’s newly unveiled Spectacles 3 may be a reminder as to why Apple is hanging back.
Headphones are so ubiquitous we often don’t think about their disadvantages. Lucyd created a pair of smart glasses that let you listen to music or podcasts while still allowing you to hear what’s going on around you. This Bluetooth accessory also lets you access Siri from your iPhone, as well as make and receive calls.
Don’t miss our hands-on review of the Lucyd Loud tech frames.
The iPhone X’s ugly notch could pave the way for Apple to dominate the smart glasses market.
Augmented reality glasses are poised to become the hottest tech gadget of the next decade and Apple’s already laying the foundation with the iPhone X. It may not seem like the two will be directly related, but this clever concept shows how the key lays in the TrueDepth camera hidden in the notch.
Check it out:
One of Apple’s biggest manufacturing partners says it plans to get into the augmented reality business.
Quanta Computer revealed today that it has struck an agreement to start making lenses for an augmented reality headset. Even though the deal isn’t with Apple, it could signal that augmented reality headsets are about to hit the market in a big way.
Apple has updated its Siri design patent in the European Union and Hong Kong to also cover “smart glasses” as a category.
Ahead of a WWDC event where Apple is rumored to be introducing a standalone Siri speaker to take on the Amazon Echo and Google Home smart speakers, the news suggests that Siri could also be a key part of Apple’s future augmented reality plans.
You rarely see Google Glass anymore, but if Recon Instruments has its way, you’ll be seeing plenty more head-mounted displays in the future.
The Recon Jet, launched Thursday, is a pair of smart eyeglasses for sporty activities like running and biking. Bristling with sensors, the device shows all kinds of biometric data and social stats on its tiny heads-up display. Paired with a smartphone, it can take pictures and video, send and receive status updates, find friends and family on the piste and much more.
But sports is just a start. If Recon is successful — and that’s a big if — we may be seeing smart glasses in a lot more places. Recon is betting hard that the face is the place for smart wearables.
A new book called Dogfight: How Apple and Google Went to War and Started a Revolution by Fred Vogelstein revealed the mechanism by which Apple influenced the direction of Android — shock and awe.
Yes, the introduction of the iPhone changed the direction of smartphones. But I don’t think it’s going to happen again in the wearables market. Here’s why.