Apple’s ambitious plans to venture into the world of augmented reality smart glasses have reportedly been shelved, as per sources cited by Bloomberg. Previously, the same media outlet had revealed that Apple was in the process of developing a high-end, AR smart glasses range under the code name “Atlas”, potentially to rival Meta’s “Orion” prototype.

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Insights into the project suggest that Apple’s initial concept was to create glasses that could seamlessly pair with an iPhone. However, the considerable battery consumption and the lack of sufficient processing power from the iPhone led to the scrapping of that idea.

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The tech giant’s engineers then diverted their efforts to design glasses that could sync with a Mac. However, this version reportedly didn’t pass muster during internal assessments by Apple’s top brass.

Despite this setback, Apple is still keen on pursuing its Vision Pro mixed reality handset project. The AR glasses were a separate endeavour, intended to be far lighter and akin to regular glasses – something comparable to Ray-Ban’s Meta smart glasses.

Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, has been vocal about his interest in augmented reality since around 2016. The cancellation of the AR glasses project is surely a disappointment for the company, but it’s not unusual. Apple is known to maintain secrecy about its internal projects. Previous reports suggested that Apple had also abandoned its plans for an electric, self-driving car in early 2024. Additionally, rumors in June 2024 indicated that Apple had shifted its focus from Vision Pro 2 to a more budget-friendly model.

The article is intended to provide relevant information to potential investors and individuals with an interest in the tech industry. However, the primary focus is to provide an update on Apple’s ventures and strategies.