Apple reportedly abandons its augmented reality video glasses project.
The future of Apple's augmented reality appears increasingly uncertain.
Apple has made the decision to cancel its augmented reality glasses project, known as N107, which raises uncertainty about its future initiatives in AR. Meanwhile, other competitors like Meta, led by Mark Zuckerberg, continue to advance with their own smart glasses projects, including the successful Ray-Ban.
The N107 was designed to resemble conventional glasses but with integrated displays in the lenses that would connect to a Mac. This device promised to offer a standout feature similar to that of the Vision Pro, allowing users to create a large virtual monitor anywhere, without the high cost or heavy design characteristic of the Vision Pro, which is priced at $3,499 and requires head support. Additionally, the glasses would have included tint-changing lenses, signaling to those around when the user was busy, similar to the Vision Pro's Eye Sight feature. However, it was not expected that the N107 would have a camera or the mixed reality functions of the Vision Pro.
A significant challenge in developing these glasses was achieving a balance between functionality and costs. Initially, Apple intended for the N107 to connect to an iPhone, but this resulted in high battery consumption and the iPhone lacked sufficient power to run the glasses, leading to the idea of connecting them to a Mac. However, the reception of this change was unfavorable during testing.
The cancellation of this project raises serious doubts about Apple's future plans in augmented and mixed reality, especially given rumors that a second model of the Vision Pro has been delayed to focus on a more affordable version. Furthermore, the Vision Pro has faced difficulties in establishing itself in the market.
This decision also suggests that Apple may be falling behind the competition. At CES 2025, various smart glasses were showcased, and Google has made its entry into the sector with Android XR. Samsung has also joined in, developing its Own Project Moohan. Meanwhile, Meta has introduced its Orion glasses, a prototype of AR featuring advanced Micro LED displays, and the CEO of Meta has expressed confidence that smart glasses will be the ideal medium for artificial intelligence assistants, with plans to launch an upgraded version of Ray-Ban.
