Apple considering Meta Ray-Ban rival, Vision Pro wasn’t company’s original plan
*Header image is referential and showcases the Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses. | Image credit — Meta
Ever since the Apple Vision Pro came out in February of this year it’s been subject to a lot of attention, good and bad. But according to Bloomberg’s Apple insider Mark Gurman, Vision Pro wasn’t even the company’s original vision, if you’ll pardon the pun.
Apparently, Apple’s current Mixed Reality headset came about due to the limitations of technology today. The company actually wanted to make AR glasses, which would’ve been a much more socially accepted form factor for a wearable XR device. Vision Pro was, according to Gurman, a “compromise of sorts”.
But you know what’s really taken off in the last year? Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses, which recently also got Meta AI support. Though Meta is also working on AI-powered AR smart glasses, the Ray-Ban glasses sold so well that the company restructured its XR division to focus more on similar wearables.
Ever since the Apple Vision Pro came out in February of this year it’s been subject to a lot of attention, good and bad. But according to Bloomberg’s Apple insider Mark Gurman, Vision Pro wasn’t even the company’s original vision, if you’ll pardon the pun.
But you know what’s really taken off in the last year? Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses, which recently also got Meta AI support. Though Meta is also working on AI-powered AR smart glasses, the Ray-Ban glasses sold so well that the company restructured its XR division to focus more on similar wearables.
The Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses didn’t have AI at launch. | Video credit — Meta
Despite not having any form of display, it turns out smart glasses sell like hot cakes, and Apple is allegedly eyeing that success. Gurman says the company is considering releasing its own non-AR smart glasses, hoping for the same success that Meta has seen.
Though non-AR smart glasses won’t nearly have the same wow factor as the Vision Pro, there’s a number of reasons I think it’d be a smart move:
I’m all for Apple releasing a competing product to the Ray-Ban glasses. Apple is a big name, and such a product will get a lot of attention similar to Vision Pro. Also, we can always use more competition between the big companies. It’s a win-win for everybody else.
Though non-AR smart glasses won’t nearly have the same wow factor as the Vision Pro, there’s a number of reasons I think it’d be a smart move:
- More people would wear them out in public
- Lack of a display will make them more affordable
- It will get more eyes on the XR industry
- It’s a relatively untapped market which Apple can take advantage of
I’m all for Apple releasing a competing product to the Ray-Ban glasses. Apple is a big name, and such a product will get a lot of attention similar to Vision Pro. Also, we can always use more competition between the big companies. It’s a win-win for everybody else.
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