Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, has reportedly made the creation of true augmented reality (AR) glasses a “top priority” for the company, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in his weekly Power On newsletter. While Apple has yet to officially announce plans for AR glasses, competitors like Google, Meta, and Snapchat have already unveiled prototypes resembling regular eyeglasses. Unlike bulkier and heavier mixed reality headsets, AR glasses require cutting-edge technology that also needs to be affordable in order to attract consumers.
Apple is still deliberating whether its AR glasses will have media-capturing capabilities. Although it’s unclear if the company will introduce smart glasses equipped with a camera, similar to the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses, earlier reports suggest that Apple is considering adding cameras to other devices like the Apple Watch.
If Apple successfully develops true AR glasses, it will face stiff competition from companies such as Google, Meta, and Snapchat. Recently, Google unveiled an XR glasses prototype at TED 2025, which includes a feature for scanning text and a “Memory” function. This device might be released as a Samsung product by next year. Meta has also demonstrated a smart glasses prototype known as “Orion,” with a commercial version (codenamed Artemis) expected to launch by 2027. Snap, on the other hand, introduced its fifth-generation AR glasses, Spectacles, in 2024, though there’s no word on when they’ll be available to the general public.
Gurman, citing a source, reports that Tim Cook is focused on creating an “industry-leading product” to beat Meta to the market and has been dedicating considerable time to the AR glasses project. Meta, which currently offers the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses, lacks AR functionality for displaying text and other information but allows users to take pictures and record audio. Gurman notes that Apple is also exploring similar wearable devices but is still deciding whether these glasses should include media capture features.
