Apple is working on its first smart glasses, a new report claims, designed to compete with the highly popular smart specs from Meta and Ray-Ban. Though this had long been suspected, the latest leak says for the first time that specific chips are in development.
“The company has made progress on the chip that it’s developing for smart glasses, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The move indicates that Apple is ramping up work on such a device, which would compete with the popular Ray-Ban spectacles offered by Meta Platforms Inc.,” says Mark Gurman in a new report at Bloomberg.
The processor for the smart glasses will be based on chips used in the Apple Watch because these, “require less energy than the components in products like the iPhone, iPad and Mac,” Gurman says.
This makes sense because the other thing about the Apple Watch chip is that it’s tiny, so something of a similar size would be a better fit with smart glasses.
“The chip has been customized to remove some parts in order to further improve power efficiency. The processor is also being designed to control the multiple cameras that are planned for the glasses,” Gurman goes on, quietly confirming that the glasses will have cameras, which hasn’t been widely said before.
Apple Smart Glasses Release
Gurman also gives us a glimpse of when we can expect the smart glasses: “The company aims to begin mass production of the processor by the end of next year or in 2027, indicating that the glasses — if successful — are likely to come to market in roughly the next two years,” he says, adding that the chips are expected to be manufactured by the regular company, TSMC.
Apple is eager to beat Meta in this market, Bloomberg says, though it will have its work cut out. A new version of the Ray-Ban Meta glasses with a built-in display is expected this year.
