Apple's Next Big Thing: Smart Glasses Aim to Bring AI to Your Eyeline

While Apple's high-end Vision Pro headset captivated tech enthusiasts, its premium price limited its reach. Now, the company appears to be shifting focus toward a more accessible ambition: lightweight smart glasses, potentially launching next year. This move would position Apple in direct competition with Meta, which has already found a market with its AI-powered Ray-Ban collaboration.

According to supply chain analysts and consistent reporting from sources like Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the project is a major internal priority. The design philosophy is a clear departure from the immersive Vision Pro. These glasses are intended to look like ordinary eyewear, prioritizing all-day comfort over flashy displays. A small projection system would likely overlay basic information—notifications, directions, AI responses—into the wearer's field of view.

The core selling point is integration with Apple Intelligence, the company's on-device AI system. Executives reportedly believe the iPhone, often tucked away, is a poor platform for AI that needs constant environmental awareness. Glasses, equipped with cameras and microphones, could enable real-time translation or identify objects on the go, processing data locally for privacy.

Meta's success with its $299 Ray-Ban glasses sets a competitive benchmark. Apple's version is expected to cost significantly more, perhaps between $800 and $1,500, forcing the company to justify the premium with superior design, AI, and privacy safeguards. Apple will also need to navigate public concern over wearable cameras, likely employing prominent activity indicators and stressing on-device data processing.

If successful, these glasses could open a new front in the wearables war, prompting rivals like Google and Samsung to accelerate their own plans. For Apple, it represents a bet that the future of AI isn't in your hand, but on your face.