It has been known for a long time that Apple is working on an AR glass called Apple Glass. The company has applied for patents for its 3D display technology and unique privacy features. A recent patent application for a “dual-axis hinge mechanism” designed specifically for glasses hints that the company is continuing to develop its smart glass. Apple is reportedly expanding its visual products team to accelerate smart glass development.

The main technical challenge is to maintain a lightweight and portable design while providing users with a good enough AR experience. It’s important to note that Apple Vision Pro is essentially a VR product with great cameras that simulate an AR device, but it still has some limitations.

Although the launch date of Apple’s smart glass has not been announced yet, industry analysts expect the product to hit the market in 2026 or 2027. It’s clear that Apple currently faces many challenges in providing a significantly better user experience than Meta’s offerings. The company applied the same approach to the Apple Vision Pro.

If Apple manages to develop a product that looks and feels like regular glass, but integrates AR technology and connects to the phone, it would be a remarkable product success. People will be able to do many of the things they do with their phones without touching the phone. Two key areas that could benefit from the new development would be internet browsing and information access.

Giants such as Meta and Google also aim to capture market share as soon as possible by investing in augmented reality technology. We’ll have to see how successful Apple is with its AR smart glass and how the product will be priced.