Apple Smart Glasses details emerge, full power unlocked when plugged into a Mac

Apple's smart glasses, destined to compete with Meta Ray-Bans, are likely to run the Vision Pro's operating system and fully unlock when connected to a Mac.

Apple Smart Glasses details emerge, full power unlocked when plugged into a Mac
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Tech and Science Editor
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TL;DR: Apple is shifting focus from a niche Vision Pro headset to AI-powered smart glasses inspired by Meta's Ray-Ban model. These glasses will run a streamlined version of VisionOS, offering full functionality when connected to a Mac and a mobile-friendly interface with an iPhone, signaling a strategic move toward mainstream AR eyewear.

It wasn't long ago that I reported on Apple scaling back its plans for a cheaper and lighter Vision headset for a shift in focus to developer AI-powered smart glasses akin to Meta's Ray-Ban glasses. Now, details have emerged about Apple's rumored smart glasses and how they will work.

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The details come from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, a known and extremely reliable Apple insider, who has penned a new report detailing what he has heard about the upcoming product. Gurman outlines that Meta's smart glasses serve as an example of an extremely promising product line that one day could be as mainstream as a smartphone, and while Meta's Ray-Bans still feel like a prototype, they show promise that Apple has now recognized.

The Vision Pro didn't display this level of promise, as it quickly became a very niche product. Niche products are not something Apple pursues, besides a very select few, and instead, the company has switched gears to focus on smart glasses, abandoning the rumored cheaper and lighter version of the Vision Pro. However, not all Vision development has been thrown out, as Gurman says the operating system running the Vision Pro, VisionOS, will likely be used to run the upcoming AR smart glasses, albeit it will be a cut-down version.

Moreover, Gurman writes that future iterations of the smart glasses could utilize the full suite of VisionOS features if they were plugged into a Mac, and even switch to a lighter version when connected to an iPhone.

"The smart glasses are also likely to run the Vision Pro's operating system, visionOS, so all the work on that software isn't going to waste. A future device could operate the full version of the OS when it's paired with a Mac, and then switch to a lighter, more mobile-friendly interface when it's linked to an iPhone, I'm told," writes Gurman