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The headline is now historical. In an August 11, 2024 report, Mark Gurman said Apple was continuing work on smart glasses and that a cheaper, less powerful Vision headset was on track for the following year—meaning 2025. Apple did not release that rumored model. Instead, it updated the existing Vision Pro with an M5 chip in October 2025, while later reports suggested that Apple had shifted resources toward AI-focused smart glasses.
As of August 18, 2026, neither the cheaper headset nor Apple’s rumored glasses have an official launch date. The reported glasses timeline has moved toward late 2027, while a lower-cost Vision-style headset may not arrive until 2028 or 2029, if it arrives at all.
What Gurman originally reported
Gurman’s original report, published by 9to5Mac on August 11, 2024, described two separate Apple projects.
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- Apple was still exploring smart glasses as a longer-term product.
- A cheaper Apple Vision headset was reportedly planned for 2025.
- The lower-cost headset was expected to be less powerful and less expensive than Vision Pro.
- It was not clear whether reducing the price would solve the headset’s larger adoption problems.
The report did not establish a final product name, retail price, technical specification, production schedule or confirmed release date. “Next year” referred specifically to 2025, not 2026 or 2027.
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What Apple actually released in 2025
Apple’s confirmed Vision hardware move was an update to the existing premium headset, not the rumored mass-market model. On October 15, 2025, Apple introduced Apple Vision Pro with an M5 chip and Dual Knit Band.
The M5 Vision Pro retained a U.S. starting price of $3,499. Apple lists 256GB, 512GB and 1TB storage configurations, and its support documentation identifies both the M5 and earlier M2 models. The M5 version remains a premium spatial-computing headset rather than a cheaper consumer alternative.
Apple claims up to 2.5 hours of general use and up to three hours of video playback for the M5 model. Buyers may also need to budget for ZEISS optical inserts—listed at $99 for readers and $149 for prescription inserts in the United States—along with accessories, AppleCare and other costs. Apple’s official purchase page offers an in-store demo or online guided buying session.
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The reported shift toward smart glasses
Later reporting indicated that Apple paused or deprioritized a planned cheaper, lighter headset to accelerate work on smart glasses. Bloomberg reporting described the glasses as an attempt to compete with Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses, which helped establish a more accessible category built around cameras, audio and AI rather than immersive displays.
That reported product should not automatically be described as “Vision Pro in glasses form.” The nearer-term concept is reportedly closer to AI-enabled camera-and-audio glasses, potentially featuring:
- cameras for capturing images or video;
- microphones and speakers;
- voice-based AI assistance;
- integration with Apple devices and services.
Those are reported plans, not confirmed specifications. The glasses may not include transparent displays or full augmented-reality overlays. True display-based AR glasses remain a separate and substantially more difficult engineering goal.
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One later report associated Apple’s smart-glasses effort with the internal codename N50. Earlier coverage pointed to an introduction in 2026 and availability in 2027, but subsequent reporting moved expectations toward late 2027. Apple has not announced the product or confirmed that schedule.
What happened to the cheaper Vision headset?
The rumored lower-cost headset has also been described separately from Apple’s smart-glasses work. Bloomberg reporting identified a cheaper, lighter Vision project by the internal codename N100 and later said work had been paused or redirected.
That does not prove Apple has abandoned spatial computing. Apple continues to sell Vision Pro and released the M5 update. It does mean that the original 2025 timing has expired, and the cheaper headset is no longer something readers should expect imminently.
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May 2026 reporting said a future Vision Pro successor was at least two years away, which places a possible release in 2028 or later. Other coverage has used the unofficial name “Vision Air,” but Apple has not confirmed that name, the product’s existence, its price or its specifications. Apple’s official product pages currently document the M5 and M2 Vision Pro models, not a cheaper consumer Vision headset.
Apple’s changing roadmap
| Date | Development | Status |
|---|---|---|
| August 11, 2024 | Gurman reported continued smart-glasses work and a cheaper Vision headset targeted for the following year. | Reported |
| October 15, 2025 | Apple introduced Vision Pro with an M5 chip and Dual Knit Band at $3,499 in the U.S. | Official |
| October 2025 | Reporting said Apple had paused or deprioritized cheaper-headset work in favor of smart glasses. | Reported |
| May 2026 | Reporting said a new Vision Pro-style headset was at least two years away. | Reported |
| 2026 coverage | Smart-glasses expectations reportedly moved toward late 2027. | Reported, unconfirmed |
Sources include Gurman’s original report, Apple’s M5 announcement, Bloomberg’s roadmap report, and later coverage from MacRumors and Tom’s Guide.
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Apple has not publicly explained an internal roadmap change, so the strategic rationale is an informed interpretation rather than an Apple statement.
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Vision Pro offers advanced displays, eye and hand tracking, spatial video and Mac Virtual Display, but its $3,499 price, physical size and external battery make it difficult to position as an everyday mass-market wearable. Ordinary glasses are easier to wear in public and may offer a more practical path to daily AI assistance.
Meta’s success with camera-and-audio glasses also gives Apple an established product category to target. Redirecting engineers would suggest prioritization—not necessarily abandonment—of spatial computing. Apple may be treating AI glasses as the nearer-term opportunity while continuing longer-term research into full AR glasses and headsets.
Should you buy Vision Pro or wait?
Buy the current Vision Pro if:
- You want Apple’s highest-end spatial-computing device available today.
- You value high-resolution displays, eye and hand tracking, immersive video or Mac Virtual Display.
- You accept the $3,499 U.S. starting price and additional accessory or optical costs.
- You can test the fit and comfort through Apple’s demo process.
Wait if:
- You specifically want ordinary-looking smart glasses for everyday use.
- You need a lighter or less expensive headset.
- You are unwilling to buy until Apple confirms its next-generation roadmap.
- You are relying on the original promise that a cheaper model would arrive “next year.”
The M5 update is not evidence that a cheaper Vision headset is imminent. It confirms only that Apple continues to support and sell the premium Vision Pro line. Availability, language support, App Store access, content and ZEISS insert support can vary by country or region; check Apple’s regional buying page before making a purchase.
How the rumored glasses would differ from Vision Pro
| Product category | What it is suited to | Main limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Vision Pro | Immersive displays, spatial computing, virtual workspaces and spatial video | High price, substantial headset form factor and limited battery duration |
| Possible cheaper Vision headset | A more accessible entry to Apple’s spatial platform | Unconfirmed; price, design, sensors and timing are unknown |
| Possible Apple smart glasses | Portable camera, audio and AI assistance | May not include a display or provide true AR |
| Ray-Ban Meta glasses | Everyday smart-glasses use with cameras, audio and AI features | Not a substitute for an immersive spatial-computing headset |
Ray-Ban Meta is the most relevant existing category alternative, but it should not be treated as equivalent to Vision Pro. The two products serve different purposes.
Quick Recap
What the reports do not establish
- Apple has not confirmed a launch date for smart glasses.
- Apple has not confirmed that the glasses will have a display.
- Apple has not confirmed the “N50,” “N100” or “Vision Air” names as consumer product names.
- Apple has not confirmed a price, battery life or final feature set for either rumored product.
- There is no evidence that Apple’s glasses will replace the iPhone.
- There has been no public cancellation of the entire Vision platform.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
