Apple's Internal Survey About Smart Glasses Hints at Future Product Plans

Apple is surveying its employees about smart glasses as it continues to consider releasing its own version of Meta's Ray-Ban glasses, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple has launched an internal study of products that are on the market, and is currently gathering feedback from Apple employees.

Apple Glasses Triad Feature
In an email sent out to employees, Apple's Product Systems Quality team called for participants for "an upcoming user study with current market smart glasses." According to Gurman, it is common for Apple to use focus groups when it is deciding on whether to enter a new market. Using employees for the focus groups allows Apple to keep its plans secret, something that wouldn't be possible with recruiting the public.

While a product is several years away, Apple is mulling making smart glasses that are similar to the Meta Ray-Bans. Meta's glasses have a camera and integrated AI so that users can ask questions about what's around them.

Apple could potentially design a simple set of glasses with a camera, Siri integration, and built-in speakers for listening to music, plus there could be included health capabilities. The glasses would essentially be an upgraded version of the AirPods with additional capabilities.

Smart glasses that integrate just a camera, speakers, and AI would be easy for Apple to produce, and it could be a way to boost wearable profits while work continues on augmented reality glasses. Apple has not been able to make AR glasses due to high costs and technical limitations that the company has not yet been able to overcome.

Gathering feedback from employees about Meta's glasses and other similar devices could provide Apple with valuable information on what features customers prefer.

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

Apple Releases iOS 18.4 With Priority Notifications, Ambient Music, New Emoji and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:03 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4, the fourth major updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating system updates that came out last year. iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 come two months after Apple released iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to...
iOS 19 Mock WWDC25 Feature

iOS 19 Expected to Run on These iPhones

Monday March 31, 2025 5:28 pm PDT by
iOS 19 will not be available on the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, or the iPhone XS Max, according a private account on social media site X that has accurately provided information on device compatibility in the past. The iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max all have an A12 Bionic chip, so it looks like iOS 19 will discontinue support for that chip. All other iPhones that run iOS 18 are expected...
iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Monday March 31, 2025 11:27 am PDT by
Apple today released new firmware updates for all AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2 models. The new firmware is version 7E93, up from the 7B21 firmware that was installed on the AirPods Pro 2 and the 7B20 firmware available on the AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with ANC. It is not immediately clear what new features or changes are included in the new firmware, but we'll update this article should we find ...
top stories 2025 03 29

Top Stories: WWDC 2025 Announced, iPhone 17 Pro and iOS 19 Rumors, and More

Saturday March 29, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
Apple's big developer event is a little over two months away, and rumors about what we can expect to see in Apple's next major operating system updates are becoming increasingly frequent. A public release of iOS 18.4 is also imminent with a number of updates and improvements, although we won't be getting the major Apple Intelligence Siri upgrades that had reportedly been planned for this...
iOS 19 visionOS UI Elements

Apple Codename Provides Clue About iOS 19's Rumored New Design

Sunday March 30, 2025 6:40 am PDT by
Multiple sources have claimed that iOS 19 will introduce a new design with more translucent buttons, menus, notification banners, and more, and there is now another clue that points towards this glass-like appearance. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said the new design project is codenamed "Solarium" internally. A solarium is a room with glass walls that allow in plenty of sunlight, so this...
macOS Sequoia Feature

Apple Releases macOS Sequoia 15.4 With Mail Categorization and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:04 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS Sequoia 15.4, the fourth major update to the macOS Sequoia operating system that launched in September. macOS Sequoia 15.4 comes two months after the launch of macOS Sequoia 15.3. Mac users can download the ‌‌macOS Sequoia‌‌ update through the Software Update section of System Settings. It is available for free on all Macs able to run macOS 15. With...
Magic Mouse Green

What to Expect From the Magic Mouse 3

Saturday March 29, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Apple is reportedly working on a new Magic Mouse. Below, we recap what to expect. The two key rumors for the Magic Mouse 3 so far include a relocated charging port, along with a more ergonomic design. It was briefly rumored that the Magic Mouse 3 would also feature voice control, but that was misinterpreted information. Relocated Charging Port While the Magic Mouse switched from...

Top Rated Comments

LoveToMacRumors Avatar
21 weeks ago
Coming in 15 years at $7999
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Will Co Avatar
21 weeks ago
Yes please. An Apple level of privacy with some assistive vision features. Hell, yes.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
boss.king Avatar
21 weeks ago

AR glasses are also not great because of how it works and how we use.

There are already AR glasses but they have many issues. FOV is one of the problem which is much narrower than pass through method.

But the most important issue is you will be distracted by AR while using an AR glasses which put you in danger while using and walking. Unless it works only if you stop moving, I dont think it's a good idea and it already contradicts the AR purpose which supposed to interact with the real environment.
People literally hold their phones in front of their face while walking, I doubt the type of AR achieved by glasses is going to be anywhere close to that level of a distraction.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Dulcimer Avatar
21 weeks ago
It’s going to suck when these things become mainstream. Imagine how much more insufferable people will be with constant tech and cameras discreetly recording all the time from their face. At least today with smartphones you have to impose by holding a phone up.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dannyyankou Avatar
21 weeks ago

AR glasses are also not great because of how it works and how we use.

There are already AR glasses but they have many issues. FOV is one of the problem which is much narrower than pass through method.

But the most important issue is you will be distracted by AR while using an AR glasses which put you in danger while using and walking. Unless it works only if you stop moving, I dont think it's a good idea and it already contradicts the AR purpose which supposed to interact with the real environment.
Well good thing the article isn’t talking about AR glasses.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AndiG Avatar
21 weeks ago

Apple should already have had something like this in the pipeline—something that could have been a natural extension of the AirPods line. I own a pair of the Meta Ray-Bans and they're a legitimately nice piece of technology: normal-looking, low learning curve, not clunky at all. I'm a bit shocked they're a Meta product given how unobtrusive they are.

A surprising number of non-techie people I know also own pairs and genuinely like them. The audio quality is good, the cameras are okay, and you can disable the AI nonsense.
Meta caught Apple with its pants down dreaming about spatial computing and showed em what it is all about and how its done.





Attachment Image
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)