Apple could be secretly working on smart glasses to rival Meta under ‘Project Atlas’: Report

Smart glasses are becoming increasingly popular, especially with companies like Meta pushing hard into the category with products like the Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses. Now, according to a report by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple could follow suit and venture into smart glasses as well. Gurman reports that Apple is exploring a move into smart glasses and has launched an internal study of products currently available on the market, including those by Meta.

Also Read: Motorola Edge 50 Neo review: The best Android experience under ₹30,000?

Apple’s Project Atlas: Foray into Smart Glasses?

Gourmet states that, internally, this project is called Project Atlas, and it commenced last week. Apple is said to be actively gathering feedback from its employees regarding smart glasses. This internal study, according to Gurman, is being conducted by Apple’s Product Systems Quality team, which is part of the hardware engineering division.

Apple is known for its calculated approach to new technology: it observes, tracks market trends, and then takes action. We saw this when smartwatches started gaining popularity—there was an influx of Android smartwatches initially, but Apple, after a short delay, eventually launched the Apple Watch, which became an instant success. This time around, with its smart glasses, the company could adopt a similar approach.

It also can’t be denied that Apple is currently big on wearables, with AirPods contributing significantly to its overall revenue. Launching a new category that is slowly starting to capture people’s attention could be exactly what Apple wants at this stage.

Also Read: iOS 18.1 released: iPhone users can no longer downgrade to older iOS 18 version

Direct Competition with Meta

For those unfamiliar, Meta is already betting big on smart glasses. It already has a product in the form of the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses available in select markets, which allow users to essentially have Meta AI embedded in their glasses—they can ask it to scan their environment and pose contextual questions, including recommendations for outfits.

Now, imagine Apple competing in this category, with all the ecosystem advantages it offers. With a focus on Apple Intelligence and a revamped Siri, Apple could potentially create a product that appeals to a wide range of users. Think of it as an AirPods-like device, but one worn on your eyes rather than your ears. We may even see a hands-free Siri experience and more, though it remains to be seen if, and when, Apple will venture into this category.

Also Read: Samsung to bring this Apple Intelligence-like feature with One UI 7- Report