Apple’s long-term wearable roadmap appears to be shifting once again, with recent reports pointing to a reallocation of resources away from one highly anticipated project. The Vision Air headset, which was originally outlined as a lighter and cheaper successor to the Vision Pro, is no longer being treated as a priority. Instead, the company is now diverting key engineering talent toward its smart glasses programme, accelerating a product that was previously scheduled further down the line.
| Image credit: Apple
- Apple drops Vision Air focus to fast-track smart glasses development.
- Apple smart glasses could debut in 2026, a year earlier than planned.
- First-gen Apple glasses will skip displays, relying on cameras and Apple Intelligence.
- Advanced XR glasses with gesture and voice control are slated for 2028.
- Apple pivots strategy, betting smart glasses will outpace bulky headsets in the wearable race.
Apple’s long-term wearable roadmap appears to be shifting once again, with recent reports pointing to a reallocation of resources away from one highly anticipated project. The Vision Air headset, which was originally outlined as a lighter and cheaper successor to the Vision Pro, is no longer being treated as a priority. Instead, the company is now diverting key engineering talent toward its smart glasses programme, accelerating a product that was previously scheduled further down the line.
The glasses, intended to compete directly with Meta’s Ray-Ban line, had initially been targeted for mass production in 2027. That timeline has reportedly been brought forward by roughly a year, suggesting that Apple wants to capture momentum in the wearable market much earlier than expected. The revised schedule could see the first iteration arrive in 2026, reshaping the company’s rollout strategy.
Unlike Apple’s extended reality headsets, the new eyewear will launch without a built-in display. Instead, the first-generation model will rely on multiple embedded cameras and Apple Intelligence integration to provide visual recognition and contextual support. Buyers can expect different frame and temple finishes, giving the product a more lifestyle-oriented feel than the bulky Vision lineup.
Separate development efforts are continuing on a different class of glasses that use liquid crystal on silicon technology. These XR-focused models are tipped to incorporate both gesture navigation and voice interaction, with manufacturing slated to begin closer to 2028. This positions them as part of a longer-term platform, distinct from the simpler consumer-first glasses Apple is pushing forward.
What remains clear is that Apple is streamlining its priorities. By pausing Vision Air and redistributing manpower, the company is betting that lightweight smart glasses will be the next bridge between smartphones and full-scale AR hardware. The pivot highlights how quickly Apple is willing to adjust direction when it senses a more promising opportunity in the wearables sector.