Apple is researching smart glasses with an internal study

Apple is reportedly using an internal study to gauge interest in smart glasses as the company continues to develop its own Apple Glass, an eventual successor to Apple Vision Pro.

The aforementioned study was supposedly launched at the end of October and is known under the project codename Atlas, not to be confused with a scrapped iPhone 16 hardware project bearing the same codename. With its internal study, Apple seeks to gather employee feedback on smart glasses currently on the market.

The study is reportedly being conducted by the company's Product Systems Quality team, which is part of Apple's hardware engineering division. There are also plans for additional focus groups in the near future.

According to the Bloomberg report, the company sent out an internal email asking select employees at its Cupertino headquarters to participate in the study.

"Testing and developing products that all can come to love is very important to what we do at Apple," the email says. "This is why we are looking for participants to join us in an upcoming user study with current market smart glasses."

Previous rumors have indicated that Apple wants to launch its own Smart Glasses in 2027, while an Apple patent application surrounding a potential hinge mechanism has also appeared among years of evidence of work on such a project. Other companies have already expressed interest in smart glasses, with Meta unveiling its Orion prototype in September of 2024.

It makes sense that Apple would take into account employee feedback and analyze its potential market competitors. People with knowledge of the Apple Vision Pro's development cycle told AppleInsider that the company conducted an analysis of virtual reality headsets on the market before launching the device, so a similar strategy for smart glasses seems likely.

In 2025, the Apple Vision Pro could be updated with an entirely new M5 chip, while a low-cost variant of the device has allegedly been delayed until 2027. Apple's CEO Tim Cook has previously described the current Apple Vision Pro as an early-adopter product, which indicates that the company likely has plans for future augmented reality headsets, possibly even smart glasses.