- Apple is reportedly working on a new chip for its upcoming smart glasses.
- It will be based on chips used on the Apple Watch models and will be designed to power and control multiple cameras.
- The company is expected to start production of this chipset by the start of 2027, hinting at a potential release some time in the next two years.
Ever since they released their Vision Pro, Apple has been working on ways to offer AR and VR experience to more users. With two upcoming Vision Pro models already in the works, it appears that Apple now wants a piece of Meta’s smart glass market and it’s already developing a new chip that will power these glasses.
According to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, Apple is making progress on the chip that’s going to be power its potential smart glasses. It will be based on the company’s Apple Watch processors, since it’ll primarily use less energy. To make it more power efficient, Apple has removed some parts of the chips. The report points that Apple’s smart glasses chip is designed to “control multiple cameras”. These cameras will “scan the surrounding environment” and “assist users” using AI.
Mass production of this smart glasses chip could commence by the end of 2026 or by the start of 2027. The company will likely rely on their long-term partner, TSMC for the production of this chip. So, if everything goes as planned, we may see Apple’s version of smart glasses within two years.
Besides this, Apple is also developing smart glasses that use augmented reality. This will be similar to Meta’s Orion glasses that the latter revealed last year. Seeing Meta’s success with their non-AR smart glasses, Apple looks all set to enter the smart glasses market while working on AR glasses in parallel.
Smart glasses aren’t the only thing in the works. The Cupertino company is betting on adding cameras to AirPods and watches, and on developing chips for both products. Beyond that, Apple is working on SoCs for other products. These include the M6 (Komodo), M7 (Borneo), and Sotra chips for the Mac. And then, there’s the M5 chip for Pro models of iPad and MacBook.
What do you think Apple’s smart glasses will be like? Do you think they’ll be able to compete with Meta’s Ray Ban glasses? Let us know in the comments.
