Malcolm Owen
Apple's fabled smart glasses may still be on the way, with a launch in 2027 on the cards alongside AirPods with added cameras.
The Apple Vision Pro is not the company's ultimate vision for the future of head-mounted displays or spatial computing. While there has been talk about smart glasses in the past, we may actually see a pair come out from Cupertino in a few years time.
The Vision Project Group, which is currently developing new headset products along the lines of the Apple Vision Pro, is apparently considering bringing out smart glasses. Sunday's newsletter from Bloomberg claims the team are planning a launch for the device in 2027.
Apple has frequently been rumored to be working on the smart glasses, also referred to as Apple Glass, but it was always a ways-off prospect due to the technological constraints involved. Multiple rumors have said they are on the way, but that it could be long wait for consumers.
Alongside the glasses, which could be similar in concept to Meta's Ray-Bans, the team also want to bring out AirPods with cameras. These have also been rumored in the past, including using IR cameras that could help enhance spatial audio by detecting the environment.
The eventual development and release of both devices could be a way for Apple to make up for the billions of dollars spent on visual intelligence technology. Largely seen in the Apple Vision Pro, it scans the environment and collects data, which can then be used to enhance the user experience.
It's plausible that some of this tech may have been borrowed from Apple's long-time Apple Car project, which relied on object detection for its self-driving capabilities.
While Vision Pro has the capability, the tech will be expanding to other products in Apple's ecosystem, including visual intelligence features on iPhone under Apple Intelligence.
Wesley Hilliard
Christine McKee
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1 Comment
Seems like this rumor of AirPods with cameras has been percolating for a year now?
Not many solid takes on what the feature does. And corollary to that are glasses with cameras. What’s the market?
So, these cameras will be more at the wearers line of sight. That does sound better than a Go-Pro or a competitor Go-Pro product?
There’s obviously the unicorn AI interface product. Apple is just waiting on the right timing to ship. I’m skeptical that audio-only interfaces will work as a mass market product.
Then, what’s the runtime for these things? An AirPod with a camera is going to be 2x larger, right? It needs to accommodate the camera and a larger battery. So, it would need an ear-hook? Wings or flanges?