Apple is reportedly gauging employee interest in smart glasses as it evaluates the possibility of entering this emerging market. Prominent Apple analyst Mark Gurman revealed that the company’s Product Systems Quality team, part of its hardware engineering division, is conducting focus groups to gather feedback on existing smart glasses.
In an email to selected employees at Apple’s California headquarters, the team emphasized the importance of user feedback in product development, stating, “Testing and developing products that all can come to love is very important to what we do at Apple.”
This internal initiative aligns with Apple’s typical approach of utilizing focus groups to explore new markets while maintaining secrecy. While leaks can occur, these internal surveys provide valuable insights before making significant investment decisions.
Apple’s potential foray into smart glasses would place it in direct competition with Meta, which currently offers the Ray-Ban Stories smart glasses with features like photo and video capture, calls, audio playback, and AI assistant integration. Meta is also developing more advanced AR glasses.
However, Apple’s experience with its Vision Pro mixed-reality headset, which has faced challenges due to its high price and bulky design, suggests a cautious approach is likely. The smart glasses market remains niche, and Apple will need to carefully consider design, functionality, and pricing to achieve mainstream adoption.
Even if employee feedback encourages Apple to pursue smart glasses development, a launch is likely “years away,” according to Gurman. Apple’s meticulous product development process, combined with the complexities of creating user-friendly and stylish smart glasses, indicates a significant investment of time and resources will be required.
