Apple shelves Vision Air to chase Meta on AI smart glasses
Oct 2, 2025
Key Points
- Apple shelved the Vision Air, a cheaper Vision Pro variant planned for 2027, and redirected staff to accelerate AI smart glasses development to compete with Meta.
- The move signals smart glasses are now Apple's priority over the midrange headset market as tech companies race to dominate the category.
- Apple is expected to develop its own proprietary glasses design rather than partner with a fashion house, following its typical playbook of minimalist aesthetics and design control.
Summary
Apple has shelved development of the Vision Air, a cheaper and lighter variant of the Vision Pro codenamed N100 that was planned for 2027. The company announced the shift internally last week and is redirecting staff to accelerate work on AI smart glasses to compete with Meta.
The move reflects competitive pressure from Meta's push into the smart glasses space. Apple will likely develop its own proprietary design rather than partner with a fashion house. The glasses are expected to follow Apple's design approach: minimalist, mostly white, modular colors year to year, and positioned as a clear status signal much like AirPods. Apple has rarely ceded design control through co-branding, even with Watch collaborations from Hermès and Nike that kept the core design language in-house.
Whether this represents a full reorientation or simply parallel development efforts remains unclear. The internal signal is unmistakable: smart glasses now take priority over the midrange headset market.