Apple Explores Smart Glasses with Atlas User Study

(Bloomberg) — Apple Inc. is considering a smart glasses push through internal research into products currently on the market, setting the stage for the company to follow Meta Platforms Inc. and will become an increasingly popular category.

The initiative, codenamed Atlas, launched last week and involves collecting feedback from Apple employees about the smart glasses, according to people familiar with the matter. Additional focus groups are planned for the near future, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the work is classified. Research is conducted by Apple’s Product Systems Quality team within the Hardware Engineering division.

“Testing and developing products that everyone can love is essential to what we do at Apple,” the group wrote in an employee selection email at the company’s Cupertino, California, headquarters. “That’s why we’re looking for participants to join us in an upcoming study of current smart glasses users in the market.”

When Apple decides whether to introduce a new category, it often holds secret focus groups to understand what people like about existing products. The company typically relies on employees rather than customers so it can avoid making its plans public. An Apple spokesman declined to comment.

Last month, Bloomberg News reported on another internal study: The company tested an app for people with prediabetes that tracks changes in their blood sugar levels and their diet.

The latest research shows that Apple is moving forward with its own work on smart glasses. Bloomberg previously reported that the iPhone maker is considering entering the market to potentially challenge the Meta Ray-Ban device, although an actual product release is still some way off.

The research will likely help Apple determine what features to include in its glasses and help shape ways to use the technology.

Creating a successful face-worn device has proven to be a challenging task. Apple’s $3,499 Vision Pro headset, released in February, is considered too bulky and expensive to become a mainstream product.

For years, Apple has sought to create a lighter version of its augmented reality device—one that could be worn all day and potentially replace the iPhone. Work on this project stalled due to numerous technical problems.

Meta, meanwhile, has found success with a more simplified formula. The $299 glasses, created in collaboration with Luxottica Group SpA, are not true augmented reality glasses—they don’t overlay information on the glass. But they allow users to take videos, answer phone calls and ask questions to the AI ​​assistant.

Now Apple wants to create something similar. His approach could involve creating smart glasses that work like the already popular AirPods. The glasses-shaped version will allow for longer battery life, sensors, and improved audio technology.

But Apple’s competitors are also moving forward. In recent months, Meta and Snap Inc. announced AR glasses, models that can combine the real world with digital overlays of games, text messages and apps. However, neither product will be ready for consumers for at least several years. Current prototypes are more focused on convincing app developers to embrace the concept.

Apple is also planning to update the Vision Pro headset to make it more attractive. The device is ideal for watching videos and office work, but its weight, high price and limited content have made it a niche product.

The company is working on a cheaper version with less expensive components. There’s even consideration of creating a device that would bring many of the functions and processing processing to the iPhone, allowing the headset to become more of an accessory for products that consumers already own.

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