Last we heard of Apple’s efforts in making a pair of AR glasses, it wasn’t exactly good news. At the time, they were reported to be either delayed indefinitely, or delayed to at least 2026. With recent developments, it looks like the former was closer to the truth, as the bitten fruit brand may have cancelled the project entirely.
Bloomberg cites sources familiar with the decision, who note that the project was reworked from needing a connection to an iPhone to work, to one that pairs with a Mac instead. Codenamed N107, the rework attempt was prompted by issues over the amount of processing power the Apple smartphone could provide, as well as concerns over the phone’s battery life.
Switching from needing an iPhone to a Mac would have solved both issues, but the report noted that Apple’s executives not responding well to the product. Features of the wearable continued to change, until it was finally canned.
With that though, so goes one “affordable” alternative to the immensely pricey Apple Vision Pro. Instead, a sequel to said mixed reality headset is on the way, with a launch window of between late this year and early next. Though being the successor model rumoured to be armed with the next generation M5 chip, it’s likely to be priced similarly, if not more, to the current one.
(Source: Bloomberg)
