Apple is thinking about a rival to Meta Ray-Ban glasses

We heard earlier this year that Apple is renewing efforts to build augmented reality (AR) smart glasses, although it sounds like these could only be ready by 2027 at the earliest. Now, a trusted source has reported that the company is considering less ambitious smart glasses.

Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman reported in his Power On newsletter that Apple is thinking about developing non-AR smart glasses.

“That category has done quite well for Meta Platforms Inc. in recent quarters, so Apple may try to join the party,” Gurman added.

Taking the Meta approach to smart glasses

Several companies currently offer smart glasses, but the $299 Meta Ray-Ban glasses are arguably the most prominent product. The glasses pack a camera (for photos, videos, and live streams), built-in speakers, AI chatbot functionality, music playback, and the ability to take calls. However, Meta’s product doesn’t offer any AR capabilities, such as head-tracking or an integrated display. 

Dropping head-tracking sensors, an integrated display, and other AR features should result in a cheaper bill of materials and a less complex pair of smart glasses, though. So we’re guessing Apple could bring non-AR smart glasses to market much quicker than AR-equipped specs and at a cheaper price. Furthermore, non-AR smart glasses would likely be less bulky and offer better battery life than AR-equipped shades.

Either way, it looks like the segment is heating up. Qualcomm’s CEO confirmed earlier this week that Samsung’s upcoming XR project is indeed a pair of smart glasses. The Samsung product is expected to be powered by Google software, so it stands to reason that more OEMs will offer smart glasses based on this platform down the line.