Apple working on dedicated chip for new non-AR glasses that will rival Meta Ray-Bans

Apple has reportedly "made progress" on the next-gen chip it has been developing for its new smart glasses, which once released, will compete directly against Meta's Ray-Ban spectacles.

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In a new report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, we're hearing from the usual "people with knowledge of the matter" that have said Apple has "made progress on the chip that it's developing for smart glasses".

Gurman adds that the move indicates that Apple is ramping up work on its smart glasses, and that the silicon team has become a critical piece of Apple's product development engine in recent years, which really kicked off when Apple began replacing Intel processors with its in-house A-series and M-series processors in 2020.

Apple's purported processor for its glasses is based on the chips that are used inside of the Apple Watch, as they require far less energy than components in the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Apple has customized the chip for its smart glasses by removing some parts in order to increase power efficiency. The new processor is also being designed to control multiple cameras on the purported Apple smart glasses.

Gurman writes that Apple is aiming to kickstart mass production of the processor for its new smart glasses either by the end of 2026, or sometime in 2027, and that if successful, we'll see the Meta Ray-Bans competitor in the next two years or so.