Work on a lighter, lower-cost successor has been suspended, with teams redeployed to Apple's nascent smart glasses division. Earlier plans had placed the N100 launch around 2027; now, resources are focused on bringing two distinct glasses models to market.
The first model, internally dubbed N50, will lack its own display and instead be tethered to an iPhone for processing and interface duties. Apple aims to unveil the N50 as early as next year, with a projected release in 2027.
The second model is a fully standalone version with its own display, originally slated for 2028 but now flagged for accelerated development. This display-equipped glasses design is intended to compete directly with Meta’s Ray-Ban Display line.
Insiders say the glasses will heavily emphasise voice-based interaction and AI. The devices are expected to leverage a new iteration of Siri or Apple Intelligence as the principal interface, and include built-in cameras, microphones, and health or navigation sensors.
While the revamp of the Vision Pro has been suspended, Apple is not abandoning the headset category altogether. A modest refresh of the original Vision Pro is still in motion, potentially arriving later this year with improved internals, including an upgraded chip.
This pivot comes amid performance challenges for the Vision Pro. The device, launched in early 2024 at $3,499, has not met broad consumer adoption. High costs, limited content support and competition from lower-priced headsets like Meta’s Quest have constrained its market impact. Analysts have flagged its weight and complexity as barriers to mainstream use.
Meta, meanwhile, is powering ahead in the smart glasses domain. Its Ray-Ban Display glasses already combine display, audio, and AR features, with further models like Oakley-branded versions targeting niche use cases such as sports.
Apple’s reprioritisation reflects broader industry sentiment: that wearable compute may migrate toward lighter eyewear rather than bulky headsets. Analysts project that shipments of smart glasses could rise from fewer than 3 million units per year today to about 20 million by 2029.
That said, the pivot carries significant engineering risk. Condensing advanced AI, optics, sensors and battery life into a glasses form factor presents major technical constraints. Balancing performance, aesthetic appeal and manufacturing cost will define success or failure in this race.
Even as Apple charts this new direction, the Vision Pro remains part of its broader spatial computing narrative. Its visionOS platform, unveiled alongside the headset, continues to evolve. The 2025 update, visionOS 26, adds more spatial features and partnerships intended to strengthen the developer ecosystem.
Competition is becoming fierce across the XR and AI wearable sectors. Besides Meta, smaller players and startups such as Brilliant Labs are pushing open-platform AI eyewear alternatives. Meanwhile, technical research is advancing in areas like on-device object detection and noninvasive eye tracking—developments that may underpin next-generation smart glasses.
Apple’s decision to deprioritise the Vision Pro redesign underscores the urgency it perceives in winning the smart glasses frontier. The coming year will test whether that bet pays off as it battles entrenched rivals and surmounts engineering hurdles.
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