In Focus: Ripples in smart eyewear sector

New patents filed by Apple in the US point towards a new, cheaper version of its Vision Headset and augmented reality (AR) spectacles to rival Ray-Ban’s Meta glasses, but not for some time yet.  

Launched earlier this year, sales of Apple Vision Pro have slowed considerably, but the company’s Apple Vision Group still wants to develop a multiproduct line up that will include a lighter and more usable pair of augmented reality spectacles and a more affordable version of its virtual reality Vision Pro headset, likely to be named Vision. 

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the new VR headset could be available as soon as 2025, but the company has taken a longer-term view on the AR spectacles, with component challenges pushing back a potential release to 2027 at the earliest. ‘No one I’ve spoken to within Apple believes the glasses will be ready in a few years,’ said Gurman.