Apple’s AR glasses plans might have been scrapped

Apple has reportedly canceled its long-rumored AR glasses project, marking a significant shift in its approach to augmented reality. This is according to a report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman who revealed that the AR glasses, codenamed N107, had been scrapped.

The AR glasses were initially designed to work as a lightweight, everyday wearable that could connect to a Mac or iPhone. It would come with displays built into the lens itself and could display information directly in the user’s field of view. However, it appears that there were significant technical challenges that ultimately led to the project’s demise​.

One of the biggest issues Apple faced was power consumption. The report claims that early prototypes caused massive battery drain on the iPhone. Apple’s current hardware was also not as powerful as they would have liked to help power the glasses. It seems that whatever Apple previewed to executives wasn’t enough to impress.

With this cancellation, Apple finds itself behind Meta, Samsung, and Google, all of whom are actively working on AR/XR  hardware. Meta already has its Ray-Ban smart glasses, and the company is reportedly developing Orion, a high-end AR glasses prototype. Meanwhile, Samsung and Google are collaborating on a new XR platform to challenge Apple’s Vision Pro​

Apple still remains committed to AR through its Vision Pro headset. However, the decision to scrap its standalone AR glasses leaves the company without a true competitor to lightweight smart glasses. Apparently, Apple still wants to pursue the development of AR glasses, but as far as this particular project is concerned, it’s back to the drawing board.