Apple's AR glasses aren't happening, report claims

Apple has reportedly canceled its plans to build augmented reality smart glasses.

This is according to Bloomberg, which cites people with knowledge of the move.

In November, the same outlet reported that Apple had launched the project under the codename "Atlas," with the goal to build a pair of advanced, AR smart glasses, perhaps in order to compete with Meta's promising "Orion" prototype.

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The report was very thin on details, but now that the project has been canceled, however, we know a little more about what these glasses were supposed to look like. Apple reportedly first wanted glasses that could pair with the iPhone, but the drain on the smartphone's battery life was too big. Additionally, the iPhone wasn't able to provide the necessary processing power.

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Apple's engineers then moved to glasses that would pair with a Mac, but that version was reported to have performed poorly during internal reviews among Apple's executives.

Apple still plans to build a followup to its Vision Pro mixed reality handset. The AR glasses were a different project, far lighter and similar to traditional glasses, perhaps akin to Ray-Ban's Meta smart glasses.

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Still, it's another setback for the company whose CEO Tim Cook sounded very enthusiastic about augmented reality as early as 2016.

Apple doesn't share its internal plans with the public. But the company reportedly canceled its plans to build an electric, self-driving car in early 2024, and reports in June 2024 said that Apple has also given up on Vision Pro 2, focusing on a cheaper model instead.