Apple Shelves Cheaper Vision Pro Redesign to Prioritize Smart Glasses [Report]

Apple is pausing development of a redesigned Vision Pro headset to prioritize a more urgent project: smart glasses designed to compete with new AI-powered wearables from Meta, according to a new report from Bloomberg. The move marks a major shift in the company's mixed-reality strategy after the Vision Pro's underwhelming debut, which insiders have described as overengineered and too costly for the mass market.

A cheaper and lighter version of the headset, codenamed N100, had been slated for 2027. But Apple reportedly told employees last week it is shifting staff from that project to speed up work on glasses. The company is now said to be developing at least two different models. The first, dubbed N50, could be unveiled as early as next year, with release targeted for 2027. A second model with a built-in display — aimed directly at Meta's new Ray-Ban Display — had been penciled in for 2028, but that schedule is also moving up.

Apple's glasses are expected to lean heavily on voice and AI, with features such as speakers, cameras, and a custom chip. They'll reportedly come in different styles, and health-tracking features have been explored. That lines up with earlier reports that Apple was accelerating its smart glasses development.


The pivot underscores Apple's ongoing struggle with AI. A rebuilt Siri is needed to power these devices, but its most advanced features were recently delayed until 2026. Meanwhile, Meta has been iterating on smart glasses since 2021, starting with Ray-Ban Stories and gaining traction with the Ray-Ban Meta in 2023. Its new Ray-Ban Display is already on shelves. Amazon, Google, and OpenAI — working with former Apple design chief Jony Ive — are also racing to push out AI hardware.

Apple's headset roadmap has shifted before. It scrapped a Mac-tethered device, and a leaked roadmap detailed a lower-cost 'Vision Air' for 2027 — likely the same model now on hold. A smaller update is still coming: a refresh of the current Vision Pro with a faster chip, possibly arriving by year's end.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has long suggested glasses are a better bet than fully enclosed headsets. Back in 2016, as Vision Pro development was kicking off, he said: "Few people are going to view that it's acceptable to be enclosed in something, because we're all social people at heart."

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