Code-named Atlas, closely watching Meta, Apple is finally going to make smart glasses

Apple is entering the smart glasses market!

On Tuesday, November 5th, according to Bloomberg citing informed sources, Apple is advancing its research and development of smart glasses, with a project called "Atlas" launched last week, which includes internal research on current market products and gathering feedback from Apple employees on smart glasses. There are also plans to hold more focus groups for discussion in the future.

Although the actual product may take years to come to market, analysts say that Apple's smart glasses could challenge the position of the smart glasses produced in collaboration between Meta and Ray-Ban.

This research is led by Apple's product system quality team and is part of the hardware engineering department. The team wrote in an email to Apple headquarters employees:

“Testing and developing products that everyone loves is an important part of our work at Apple, which is why we want to invite participants to join the upcoming user research on existing smart glasses in the market.”

When Apple considers entering a new field, it typically holds secret focus groups to understand which features people like about existing products. Apple usually relies on employees rather than customers to participate, to avoid leaking plans prematurely.

Apple is following Meta into the AR field

Creating a successful wearable device has always been a challenging task. Apple's $3,499 Vision Pro headset released in February has been deemed too bulky and expensive by the market, making it difficult to become a mainstream product.

Therefore, for many years, Apple has been trying to create a lighter augmented reality (AR) device—one that can be worn all day and has the potential to replace the iPhone. However, due to the high technical requirements, the project's progress has been stalled.

In contrast to Apple, Meta has succeeded in simplifying devices—Meta partnered with Luxottica Group SpA to launch a $299 pair of glasses that allows users to record videos, answer calls, and ask questions to an AI assistant. However, these are not true AR glasses, as they do not overlay information on the lenses.

Currently, Apple is also seeking to create similar products, potentially including smart glasses similar to AirPods, but with longer battery life, more sensors, and improved audio technology.

Apple also plans to improve the Vision Pro headset and is currently developing a lower-end version using cheaper components to broaden its appeal.

However, Apple's competitors are also continuously advancing product development. In recent months, both Meta and Snap Inc. have showcased new AR glasses—these glasses can combine the real world with digital overlays of games, text messages, applications, and more