Apple is reportedly considering entering the smart glasses market, as the tech giant begins an internal study into the current landscape of wearable glasses. The initiative, which has been given the project name "Atlas," involves gathering feedback from Apple employees on various smart glasses available in the market, according to a report by Bloomberg. The research is being conducted by Apple’s Product Systems Quality team, part of the company’s hardware engineering division, as the company evaluates how such a device could fit into its broader ecosystem.
The study, which is still in its early stages, aims to explore the potential functionalities and features that smart glasses could offer. Apple is said to be examining how users interact with these devices and what innovations could set its offering apart from existing products. The company is also expected to conduct further focus group testing in the future to refine its approach. This study comes on the heels of another internal project focused on creating an app to help individuals with pre-diabetes manage their blood sugar levels and track their food intake.
What Lies Ahead
If Apple decides to move forward with its smart glasses project, it will enter an increasingly competitive market. At present, Meta (formerly Facebook) leads the field with its collaboration with Luxottica to produce the successful Ray-Ban smart glasses. Apple’s smart glasses would also compete with emerging augmented reality (AR) technologies being developed by companies like Meta and Snap, which are working on glasses capable of overlaying digital information onto the real world.
While AR glasses are still a few years away from mainstream availability, Apple’s move into the smart glasses space could signify a shift in the company’s long-term vision for wearable tech. However, Apple’s previous foray into wearables, the Vision Pro mixed-reality headset, has faced challenges due to its steep price tag of over $3,499, limited content, and heavy design, raising questions about how Apple will address these hurdles in the wearable glasses market.