Technologies

Apple Reportedly Planning New Vision Pro Models, Prioritizing Meta Ray-Ban Glasses Rival

The Meta AI-style glasses would serve as a placeholder until Apple can deliver more advanced AR eyewear, a new report suggests.

Apple is developing two new models of its Vision Pro headset, according to a report: one that’s expected to be lighter and more affordable than the original, and another designed to tether with Macs. Despite sluggish demand, the company remains focused on creating versions of the AR/VR headset with broader mainstream appeal, Bloomberg reported on Monday.

The lower-cost Vision Pro will likely have a less powerful chip and scaled-back features, bringing the price down significantly from the original $3,500. It’s also expected to include an ultralow-latency system for streaming a Mac display, according to the report. And in line with previous reports, Apple is also still working on its own smart glasses equipped with cameras and microphones, similar to Meta’s Ray-Ban line.

CEO Tim Cook «cares about nothing else» more than delivering a true pair of AR glasses, calling it a «top priority,» Bloomberg said, citing an anonymous Apple engineer. But until the technology can be perfected in a way that’s comfortable and as wearable as traditional eyewear, Apple sees camera- and mic-enabled glasses as a stepping stone into the space.

This builds on earlier reports that Apple intends to channel some of the Vision Pro’s billion-dollar R&D investment in visual intelligence into future products, including smart glasses expected to launch in 2027.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In recent years, Apple has often focused on refining buzzy, existing technologies, from mixed-reality headsets to AI features. As it stands, Meta is better positioned to dominate the smart glasses category, particularly as it continues to enhance its hardware, software and growing ecosystem of services. But Cook, according to Bloomberg, is «hell-bent on creating an industry-leading product before Meta can.»

The report said the glasses would use Siri and Visual Intelligence as part of Apple’s broader Apple Intelligence AI platform. In keeping with Apple’s overall product strategy, privacy would remain a central focus.

Still, the company may face challenges in making the device as indispensable as its other products, particularly the iPhone — and at a price that’s accessible enough to drive mass adoption.

A long-term priority

Eric Abbruzzese, research director at market research firm ABI Research, called Apple’s interest in smart glasses a long-term priority.

«AR has simply proven more difficult than VR to go to market with devices that balance cost and capability,» he said. «AR as a supplement to the smartphone, similar to an Apple Watch, is a very compelling product category that is truthfully only just starting to be served appropriately.»

Glasses like Meta’s Ray-Bans show that people are interested in smart eyewear but building ones with screens still presents a major challenge, Abbruzzese said. At the same time, AR and AI are increasingly intertwined, with companies like Apple, Meta and Google designing products that blend the two. Abbruzzese described the «holy grail» product as mass-market smart glasses — an affordable, display-enabled wearable that pairs with a smartphone and uses sensors, voice input and AI agents for natural, hands-free interaction.

«The relationship between AR and AI is a significant, mutually beneficial relationship where each technology benefits from the other,» he said.

Technologies

Google Making AI-Powered Glasses With Warby Parker, Gentle Monster

Google revealed its first two partnerships with eyeglass brands, with more to come.

The tech world has rarely been called stylish. But at Google’s annual I/O developers conference on Tuesday, the company took one step into the fashion world — kind of. The company revealed that the first eyeglass brands to carry Android XR AI-powered glasses will be Warby Parker and Gentle Monster, with more brand partners to be revealed in the future. Android XR is Google’s upcoming platform for VR, AR and AI on glasses and headsets.

Yes, there was a Superman joke as the company joked that unlike Clark Kent, who hid his superpowers behind nerdy glasses, the Android XR glasses will give you superpowers. That remains to be seen, although NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo did show up at Google I/O wearing the XR glasses.

Warby Parker, founded in 2010, was originally an online eyeglass retailer that gained fame for its home try-on program, where customers could order five frames sent to their home to try on and then return. It also allowed customers to upload photos to see how they would look wearing different frames.

South Korean eyeglass brand Gentle Monster, founded in 2011, is known for its luxury eyeglasses and sunglasses. The company’s celebrity customers include Beyoncé, Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar and Billie Eilish.

Technologies

Tariffs Explained: I Have Everything You Need to Know as Walmart, Subaru Hike Prices

Technologies

Google I/O Announcements: The Latest AI Upgrades Coming to Gemini, XR and More

From its new Project Aura XR glasses to Chrome’s wants-to-be-more-helpful AI mode, Gemini Live and new Flow generative video tool, Google puts AI everywhere.

As you’d expect, this year’s Google I/O developer’s conference focused almost exclusively on AI — where the company’s Gemini AI platform stands, where it’s going and how much it’s going to cost you now for its new AI Ultra subscription plan (spoiler: $250 per month). Meanwhile, a new Flow app expands the company’s video-generation toolset, and its Android XR glasses make their debut.

Plus, all AI usage and performance numbers are up! (Given that a new 42.5-exaflop Ironwood Tensor processing unit is coming to Google Cloud later this year, they’ll continue to rise.)

Google’s Project Aura, a developer kit for Android XR that includes new AR glasses from Xreal, is the company’s next step in the company’s roadmap toward glasses-based, AI-driven extended reality. CNET’s Scott Stein goes in-depth in an exclusive interview with Shahram Izadi, Google’s VP and GM for Android XR about that future. And headset-based Project Moohan, developed in conjunction with Samsung, is now available, and Google’s working with Samsung to extend beyond headsets.

For a play-by-play of the event, you can read the archive of our live blog.

Google already held a separate event for Android, where it launched Android 16, debuting its new Material 3 Expressive interface, updates to security and an update on Gemini integration and features.

A lot of the whizzy new AI features are only available via one of its subscription levels. AI Pro is just a rebranding of Google’s $20-per-month Gemini Advanced plan (adding some new features), but Google AI Ultra is a pricier new option — $250 per month, with half off the first three months for the moment — that provides access to the latest, spiffiest and least usage-limited of all its tools and models, as well as a prototype for managing AI agents and the 30 terabytes of storage you’re going to need to store it all. They’re both available today.

Google also wants to make your automation sound smarter with Personalized Smart Replies, which makes your generated answers sound more like you, as well as plowing through pieces of information on your device to provide relevant information. It’ll be in Gmail this summer for subscribers. Eventually, it’ll be everywhere.

Also, it includes lots of better models, better coding tools and other details on developer-friendly things you expect from a developer conference. The announcement included its conversational Gemini Live, formerly part of Project Astra, its interactive, agentic, voice AI, kitchen sink AI app. (As Managing Editor Patrick Holland says, «Astra is a rehearsal of features that, when they’re ready for the spotlight, get added to Gemini Live.») And for researchers, NotebookLM incorporates Gemini Live to improve its… everything.

It’s available now in the US.

Chrome AI Mode

People (that is, those over 18) who pony up for the subscriptions, plus users on the Chrome Beta, Dev and Canary tracks, will be able to try out the company’s expanded Gemini integration with Chrome — summary, research and agentic chat based on the contents of your screen, somewhat like Gemini Live does for phones (which, by the way, is available for free on Android and iOS as of today). But the Chrome version is more suited to the type of things you do at a computer rather than a phone. (Microsoft already does this with Copilot in its own Edge browser.)

Eventually, Google plans for Gemini in Chrome to be capable of synthesizing using multiple tabs and voice navigation.

The company is also expanding how you can interact with its AI Overviews in Google Search as part of AI Mode, with interactions with AI Overviews and more agentic shopping help. It’s a new tab with search, or on the search bar, and it’s available now. It includes deeper searches, Personal Context — which uses all the information it knows about you, and that’s a lot — to make suggestions and customize replies.

The company detailed its new AI Mode for shopping, which has an improved conversational shopping experience, a checkout that monitors for the best pricing, and an updated «try on» interface that lets you upload a photo of yourself rather than modeling it on a generic body.

Google plans to launch it soon, though the updated «try on» feature is now available in the US via Search Labs.

Google Beam

Formerly known as Project Starline, Google Beam is the updated version of the company’s 3D videoconferencing, now with AI. It uses a six-camera array to capture all angles of you, which the AI then stitches together, uses head tracking to follow your movements, and sends at up to 60 frames per second.

The platform uses a light field display that doesn’t require wearing any special equipment, but that technology also tends to be sensitive to off-angle viewing. HP is an old hand in the large-scale scanning biz, including 3D scanning, so the partnership with Google isn’t a big surprise.

Flow and other generative creative tools

Google Flow is a new tool that builds on Imagen 4 and Veo 3 to perform tasks like creating AI video clips and stitching them into longer sequences, or extending them, with a single prompt while keeping them consistent from scene to scene. It also provides editing tools like camera controls. It’s available as part of Gemini AI Ultra.

Imagen 4 image generation is more detailed, with improved tonality and better text and typography. And it’s faster. Meanwhile, Veo 3, also available today, has a better understanding of physics and native audio generation — sound effects, background sounds and dialogue.

Of course, all this is available under the AI Pro plan. Google’s Synth ID gen AI detection tool is also available today.