By: Nick Gambino
Just a couple months ago, we reported that Apple was working on a lighter and cheaper version of their mixed reality headset – the Vision Pro – dubbed the Vision Air. Now it looks like they may be pivoting away from it altogether.
Apple is reportedly taking most of the Vision Air team and moving them over to an AI glasses project. This is according to Bloomberg. The fact that Meta unveiled the Meta Ray-Ban Display just a couple weeks ago at Meta Connect 2025 is probably no coincidence.
Those new Meta smart glasses include a built-in display that provides instant access to many productivity features. You’ll see things like app alerts and directions right in front of your eyes without having to dig out your phone.
If the rumors are true, Apple is hard at work on two pairs of smart glasses powered by AI. While details are sparse, Bloomberg got some insiders to clue us in a little. The first is the N50, as it’s being called. It pairs to the iPhone and doesn’t have its own display. This one is expected to be unveiled in 2026. It will be released for purchase in 2027.
The second pair of AI smart glasses will have its own display just like the Meta Ray-Ban Display. It will work independently of your iPhone. Clearly it’s going to take some heavier lifting to include a built-in display. This is why this one may not see the light of day until 2028. But as I said, Apple has moved many off the Vision Air project to work on Apple AI glasses. So we may see them even sooner.
Apple has been behind the times on VR/AR/XR headsets, not to mention smart glasses. They only released the Vision Pro last year. Meanwhile, Meta has been hard at work for years, first with their acquisition of Oculus in 2014 and a slew of headsets that followed. They even released their first smart glasses in 2021.
We won’t hear anything officially about Apple’s AI smart glasses until at least next year, so in the meantime we can just enjoy everything Meta has to offer.
