Apple is gearing up to expand its product lineup with smart glasses, entering a tech category that’s seen growing interest, especially with competitors like Meta making headway, Bloomberg is reporting.
According to sources familiar with the project, Apple began its “Atlas” initiative last week by surveying its employees about existing smart glasses in the market.
This user study, handled by the Product Systems Quality team within Apple’s hardware engineering division, aims to gather valuable feedback that could shape Apple’s own smart glasses. More focus groups are expected in the near future, according to insiders who prefer to remain anonymous, given the confidential nature of the project.
Apple has a history of conducting secret studies before entering a new product category. By leveraging employee feedback, Apple can test and analyze user preferences while maintaining discretion about its future plans.
The company has been innovating in the wearable tech and augmented reality (AR) space for years. Their most notable recent venture is the Vision Pro headset, which launched in earlier this year. However, Apple’s long-term ambition is to create a lighter, more versatile wearable device, with hopes of developing AR glasses that are suitable for everyday use.
Previous attempts to create an all-day AR device have faced technical challenges, slowing down progress. Yet, Apple seems undeterred in its mission to produce the next breakthrough in wearable technology, with smart glasses being a key area of focus.
Apple’s potential move into smart glasses will undoubtedly set it up for competition with other major players in the space. Meta has already made significant strides with its $299 smart glasses developed in partnership with Luxottica.
Both Meta and Snap have been working on AR glasses that integrate digital overlays with real-world views, further demonstrating the growing competition in this space.
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So Apple was behind in starting AI, and now tried to catch up on smart glasses.
It would be nice to have some pocketable sized glasses that connected to iPhone, ipad or mac that you could watch movies and spacial videos on and maybe do some AR with. Plain, simple and lightweight and as available and affordable as Airpods max.