Tim Cook, it seems, has a new fixation—and it’s not another titanium iPhone. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in his Power On newsletter, Apple’s CEO is laser-focused on one thing: making sure Apple beats Meta to market with a pair of smart AR glasses that actually work and actually sell.
It’s no secret that Apple’s journey into XR (Extended Reality) hasn’t been smooth. The Vision Pro, while impressive in design and performance, has struggled to find buyers—likely because it costs more than most used cars. But Apple has never treated the Vision Pro as the endgame. Insiders say it was a strategic placeholder, a way to plant the flag while hardware limitations caught up with the dream.
The real ambition? Lightweight, intuitive AR glasses with solid battery life—essentially, the future of computing worn on your face. Meta is chasing the same goal. Last year, it unveiled “Orion,” a long-gestating prototype that aims to eventually replace smartphones. Apple wants to beat Meta there, and Gurman says Cook has made that mission his top priority.
“Tim cares about nothing else,” a person with knowledge of the matter told Bloomberg. “It’s the only thing he’s really spending his time on from a product development standpoint.”
That singular focus is both exciting and slightly nerve-wracking. Apple Intelligence, the company’s push into generative AI, hasn’t exactly been met with thunderous applause. So while hopes are high for these smart glasses, there’s reason for skepticism too.
The report also mentions that the product will take a few good years. The realization of truly functional augmented reality (AR) glasses remains a long-term endeavor, as there are significant challeenges. For instance, there’s still a question mark over the use case. Furthermore, Apple must develop compelling applications that match the iPhone's transformative impact. Overcoming these challenges is compounded by the need to produce such devices in large volumes while maintaining a price point accessible to the average consumer.
Still, Apple isn’t alone in this space-race-meets-specs-race. Google is quietly working on AI-powered AR wearables. Samsung is gearing up for a comeback with something called Project Moohan.
Bottom line? The race to smart glasses supremacy is heating up—and while no one’s quite cracked it yet, the next few years might just define how we look at computing. Literally.
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