Apple eyes smart glasses market, begins internal study on existing products – report

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) has begun an internal study of smart glasses currently on the market, hinting at the iPhone maker’s plans to venture into the popular wearable category, Bloomberg reported, citing people with knowledge of the matter.

The company is seeking feedback from employees on smart glasses under the initiative code-named Atlas, and more focus groups are planned for the near future.

The initiative comes as Apple’s (AAPL) Vision Pro headset has faced challenges in becoming a mainstream product, given its costly $3,499 price tag, heavy weight and limited content.

On the other hand, Meta’s (META) $299 Ray-Ban smart glasses have been a success as a result of features like taking phone calls, shooting videos and an AI assistant. To note, these aren’t true AR spectacles.

Meta (META), as well as Snap (SNAP), recently previewed AR glasses that can overlay digital information. But these products will likely take a few years before reaching the market.

When considering venturing into a new category, Apple (AAPL) often seeks feedback on existing products from secret focus groups, usually comprised of employees instead of customers to ensure its plans are not made public. It recently tested an app for tracking blood-sugar changes.