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Intelligent Apple glasses: Augmented reality is still far away
Despite progress, the company provides that it will take at least five years to launch autonomous AR glasses, due to the technological challenges and miniaturization of the necessary chips
Isabella V11 November 2024

 

 

Apple is still a long way from launching quality AR smart glasses, with a timeline that could extend up to five years. The company is exploring different solutions, including iPhone-connected prototypes, but the technology needed is not yet ready for a true revolution. The required AR experience is complex and requires significant hardware innovations.

Key points:

  • Apple is aiming for smart AR glasses, but the launch is still long term.
  • The device could start as an iPhone-connected accessory.
  • The main challenge is miniaturization of computing power, which is needed for a smooth AR experience.
  • Apple’s vision includes autonomous glasses, but the technology has yet to mature.

Apple, always at the forefront of innovation, is preparing the ground for the launch of smart glasses that could one day transform the augmented reality (AR) experience, but according to the latest rumors, the project could take at least five years to materialize. Although progress is visible, the quality of the AR experience Apple intends to offer is not yet within reach, even for a device like smart glasses. The Cupertino giant has a long tradition of staying true to its philosophy of refinement, never aiming for the race for the first new thing, but rather for creating mature and noteworthy products. Meanwhile, other companies, such as Meta and Snap, are trying to make their way in this area with prototype AR glasses, but even their devices are still far from the ultimate quality that Apple pursues. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, these “raw” devices are not yet ready for the mass market, and even Apple does not seem willing to speed things up.

The development process for these Apple smart glasses, as has been the case with the company’s other products in the past, starts with a phase of internal focus groups, an approach used to gather feedback on prototypes and refine the design before an eventual release. Apple, in fact, has started this testing phase for AR glasses as well, although at the moment it is still a project that appears to be in its infancy. Initially, these glasses could present themselves as devices connected to iPhones, harnessing the phone’s computing power to lighten the load on the glasses themselves, thus reducing the technical difficulties associated with the miniaturization of the chip needed for a smooth, high-performance AR experience.

This solution could allow Apple to market a “light” version of its smart glasses, while the search for a fully autonomous version will continue for a long time. For the realization of autonomous glasses capable of performing computationally intensive tasks, the company will need to develop a chipset that functions like the powerful A18 Pro but with drastically reduced power consumption, so as not to compromise battery life and maintain the device’s battery life. Making such a chip requires the gradual adoption of more advanced technologies in semiconductor lithography, a field in which Apple has always invested heavily. The company, however, has never been deterred by the long lead times that often characterize its research and development, preferring to launch products at the right time rather than get ahead of the competition with unfinished technologies.

Despite the technological challenges and high development cost, Apple’s vision remains ambitious: to create smart glasses that are comfortable to wear and unobtrusive, but at the same time offer a high-quality AR experience that can seamlessly integrate with users’ daily lives. The company may not be the first to enter the AR market, but it has always been adept at refining existing technologies, building ecosystems, and making usable innovations that at first seem too advanced for mass adoption. In this case, it appears that Apple is preparing a product that could become the benchmark for smart glasses of the future, while maintaining a cautious and methodical attitude.

The transition from bulky and expensive viewers to thin and practical AR glasses is not easy, and it will take years of development and iterations before these devices can meet Apple’s rigorous expectations.

Although there are already prototypes on the market, Apple’s vision remains a distant promise, but the company’s determination to make a truly revolutionary product could, as always, lead to results that will change the industry again.