There’s also talk of Apple developing lightweight augmented reality glasses — the Holy Grail for Apple and others. But, similar to Meta’s Project Orion prototype, any augmented reality glasses from Apple are likely years away from release.
In the meantime, the existence of the Vision Pro and Apple’s presence in the market could spur wider innovation. It “reinvigorated the competition” said Greengart, pointing to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who publicly talked up his company’s devices as a more affordable rival to the Vision Pro.
In addition, Google recently announced its Android XR operating system, which will be used in a new Samsung headset due to launch this year. The device and OS bear a resemblance to Apple’s own hardware and software, with mixed reality pass-through and a multi-screen interface.
Android XR places greater emphasis on the use of artificial intelligence — a strategy Apple’s likely to pursue, too, with potential to integrate Apple Intelligence into the mixed reality headset.
