Apple has decided to cancel its long-awaited augmented reality (AR) glasses project, which was expected to rival Meta’s and potentially Google’s AR offerings. These glasses were designed to work as a companion accessory for Macs, enabling users to connect them and enjoy a large virtual display. The idea was to bring AR into a more consumer-friendly form factor compared to existing options. The cancellation marks a setback for Apple, which has been working for years to make AR glasses a reality.
The Vision Pro and Its Potential
Originally, Apple planned for these AR glasses to pair with an iPhone, utilizing features such as the ‘Mac Virtual Display’ already available on visionOS. This feature, available on the Apple Vision Pro headset, allowed users to expand their digital workspace into a large virtual screen. Apple’s ambition was to provide a similar experience in a smaller, more accessible form—transforming the glasses into a versatile, consumer-oriented product.
The Vision Pro was a significant step forward in Apple’s extended reality (XR) efforts, though it also highlighted the company’s struggle with current technical limitations. Initially, Apple intended to create AR glasses, but the technology needed to make them both functional and compact wasn’t yet achievable. Despite initial promise, the AR glasses project has reportedly been plagued by a lack of direction, with internal sources indicating that the development process was fragmented and disorganized.
The Future of the Vision Pro
Despite the cancellation of the AR glasses, Apple is still planning future iterations of the Vision Pro headset. However, the original model has not performed well in the market due to its steep $3,499 price tag. Apple is reportedly working on more affordable versions of the Vision Pro, but it remains uncertain whether these products will succeed. The potential for the Vision Pro to become another project like the Apple Car—one that never fully materializes—remains a possibility.
The cancellation of Apple’s AR glasses has had a significant impact on the XR industry. The arrival of Meta’s Orion glasses last year rekindled interest in AR and VR, pushing competitors like Apple and Google to accelerate their own efforts. With wearable tech continuing to be seen as the future of augmented reality, Apple’s decision raises concerns that other companies might follow suit and abandon their own XR projects. For many, the Vision Pro represented one of the best AR experiences to date, making the cancellation of the glasses even more disappointing for those looking forward to new developments in the field.