According to a report, Apple is making two new versions of Vision Pro headphones, which are lighter and more affordable than the original, and the other is designed to pair with a Mac. Bloomberg reported this week that despite the low demand for current AR/VR headsets, Apple is still focusing on creating versions of devices with a wider mainstream appeal.
The new low-cost vision professionals developed may have smaller chips and scaling capabilities, which significantly reduces the price by the initial $3,500. It is also expected to include a super latency system for streaming MAC displays, the report said.
Apple is still reportedly making its own smart glasses with cameras and microphones, similar to Meta’s Ray-Ban Line.
Bloomberg said CEO Tim Cook was “omnipresent” in addition to providing a pair of real AR glasses, calling it “a top priority”, Bloomberg quoted an anonymous Apple engineer. But before perfecting technology in a way that is as comfortable and wearable as traditional glasses, Apple sees glasses for cameras and microphones as stepping stones to get into space.
This is based on earlier reports that Apple intends to direct some of the billion-dollar investments in visual intelligence investment into future products, including smart glasses expected to be launched in 2027.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In recent years, Apple has often focused on perfecting the existing technology of buzz, from mixed reality headsets to AI capabilities. For now, Meta can better dominate the smart glasses category, especially as it continues to enhance its hardware, software and growing services ecosystem. But, according to Bloomberg, Cook “created an industry-leading product before Meta Can.”
The report says the glasses will use Siri and Visual Intelligence as part of Apple’s broader Apple Intelligence AI platform. To be consistent with Apple’s overall product strategy, privacy will remain the core focus.
Still, the company could face the challenge of making the device as essential as other products, especially the iPhone – and at a price that is easy enough to drive large-scale adoption.
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Long-term priorities
Eric Abbruzzese, research director at market research firm ABI Research, said Apple’s interest in smart glasses is a long-term priority.
“It’s more difficult to get to market with devices that balance costs and capabilities than VR,” he said. “AR, as a complement to smartphones, is a very compelling product category, and in fact, just started to offer the right products appropriately.”
Glasses like Meta’s Ray-Bans show that people are interested in smart glasses, but building lenses on screen still presents a major challenge, Abbruzzese said. Meanwhile, AR and AI are increasingly intertwined, with companies like Apple, Mega and Google Design blending the two together. Abbruzzese describes the “Holy Grail” product as mass-market smart glasses – an affordable display wearable that pairs it with a smartphone and uses sensors, voice input and AI agents for natural, free interaction.
“The relationship between AR and AI is an important, mutually beneficial relationship in which each technology benefits from each other,” he said.
