Apple was apparently developing augmented reality glasses based on its Mac computers, but canceled the project before the company could even announce it. According to Bloomberg, Apple scrapped the program this week because the product didn’t work well when executives tested it, and the company kept changing the features it wanted from the device. The glasses, which still ran on visionOS, were not meant to be a direct successor to Vision Pro. They were reportedly not a headset, but a pair of regular glasses.
Bloomberg writes that Apple initially wanted the AR glasses to be powered by the iPhone, but the smartphone did not have enough processing power to support the device’s functions. They also drained the iPhone battery. The discontinued augmented reality glasses had built-in displays that could project information, images, and videos into the user’s field of vision. They were lighter than Vision Pro and didn’t show the user’s eyes like a headset, but had lenses that could change their hue to show whether the user was working on a task or was not busy and could be approached. Bloomberg compared the canceled product to XReal’s One glasses and Meta’s Orion prototype, which was unveiled last year. Although Orion needs to be paired with a “wireless computing puck” to work, it does not need to be connected to a computer or phone.
Apple designed the glasses as a device that people could use on a daily basis. One of the challenges the company has faced is that people who already have Vision Pro are not using them as often as the company expects. However, employees of the company’s vision product development team reportedly believe that the project suffers from a lack of focus and clear direction. However, Apple is still working on a successor to Vision Pro and plans to develop augmented reality glasses in the future. It also continues to work on technologies that were used in the decommissioned glasses, such as micro-LED screens, for future projects.
