Apple has decided to halt the development of its augmented reality glasses, which were intended to work alongside the Mac, according to a report by Mark Gurman from Bloomberg. The company’s goal was to design smart glasses that resembled ordinary eyewear but included augmented reality features. Initially, Apple aimed for these glasses to connect to the iPhone.
However, the limitations of the iPhone’s power and battery life proved insufficient for the requirements of the AR technology. This led Apple to shift its focus to using a Mac for power. Despite this change, Apple executives concluded that a Mac-connected device was not a viable direction, ultimately resulting in the project’s discontinuation.
The AR glasses concept was envisioned as lightweight and without a head strap, unlike the Vision Pro headset. They were designed to feature lenses capable of adjusting their tint based on the wearer’s activity, signaling to those around them that they were occupied. For nearly a decade, there have been whispers of Apple’s ambition to create AR glasses, but the technology necessary for such a device has yet to materialize.
Back in 2023, Gurman noted that the project had become somewhat of a joke within the AR/VR team, with employees viewing it as a “hopeless” endeavor. In 2017, Apple CEO Tim Cook acknowledged that the technology to produce quality AR smart glasses simply did not exist then, and this sentiment appears to still hold true. While the project has been put on hold, Apple is actively working on new versions of the Vision Pro headset and plans to revisit the possibility of AR glasses when technological advancements allow.
Meanwhile, competitors like Meta are in the early stages of developing their own AR glasses, indicating a growing interest in the field.