Is Apple Committed To Smart Glasses?

Forbes

25-04-2025

Will Apple not only enter but dominate the smart glasses market?
In 2017, during his WWDC keynote, Tim Cook announced and demoed the ARKit, marking Apple's first public commitment to augmented reality and the beginning of a multi-year effort to develop hardware capable of realizing its AR ambitions. This announcement signaled Apple's intention to integrate AR deeply into its ecosystem, leveraging the iPhone and iPad as platforms for AR experiences and setting the stage for future innovations.
Later that day, I had the opportunity to speak privately with Tim Cook and asked him about his vision for AR. He told me he envisioned a world augmented by digital virtual information, directions, and relative data at a glance. His most important comment to me was that he believed that AR may be Apple's most significant contribution to our digital world, which is an amazing statement given the iPhone's incredible impact on our world. He also said that it may be many years before we get the proper form factor for AR and suggested it would be some glasses that would be acceptable to everyone and not geeky goggles or bulky VR headsets.
It's been eight years since Apple introduced the ARKit. While Apple has used these software tools in its Vision Pro, iPad, and iPhone to create AR applications, it has not specifically released dedicated glasses designed for AR.
But over these years, a series of what are loosely called smart glasses has emerged and has attracted the interest of both early adopters and regular people.
I recently wrote a column in Forbes about the current state of smart glasses and described three distinct types on the market today:
Given all of this activity, and especially Meta's aggressive push into smart glasses, many stories about Apple's entry into smart glasses are circulating. Recently, Bloomberg wrote a speculative story about Apple's smart glasses plans.
"Citing someone with knowledge of the matter, the report maintains Apple CEO Tim Cook has put the development of AR glasses as a top priority, as the company plans to release such a device before Meta."
"Tim cares about nothing else," the source told Bloomberg. "It's the only thing he's really spending his time on from a product development standpoint."
Based on my conversation with Tim Cook about AR, I concur that Apple's top priority is creating AR glasses. However, I take exception to this comment in Bloomberg's story. Tim Cook is CEO of a $3 trillion company. Cook's responsibilities span far beyond a single product. He is also deeply involved in issues such as global supply chains, tariffs, regulatory challenges, relationships with partners in China, India, Taiwan, Vietnam, etc., and the ongoing evolution of Apple's flagship devices.
The idea that Apple has to beat Meta to the market with Apple smart glasses is also wrong.
Moreover, Apple's history shows that it does not prioritize being first to market. Instead, Apple observes how markets develop, then enters with an innovative product that redefines the category, sets a new standard and takes a leadership role in the category.
Apple is not in a race to beat Meta to market. Apple's focus is creating its best competitive smart glasses and releasing them when they are ready for mass production and pass all Apple QA requirements and design goals.
Does Meta put pressure on Apple in the smart glass arena? Most likely, but not in terms of being in a race with them. Competition forces innovation, which will drive Apple in smart glasses.
As for timing, there is no clear indication of when Apple will unveil its AR glasses. However, history suggests that when Apple does enter the space, it will do so with a product designed to set the benchmark for the industry—not simply to compete, but to lead.
Disclosure: Apple subscribes to Creative Strategies research reports along with many other high tech companies around the world.