Apple’s Vision Pro flopped hard, but CEO Tim Cook is reportedly all-in on a game-changing successor: lightweight AR glasses that could redefine daily life. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman hints at a 2028 launch, channeling Steve Jobs’ playbook of waiting for rivals to stumble before dominating.
Vision Pro’s struggles are stark. Despite an M5 chip upgrade, shipments tanked – just 390,000 units in 2024 and 45,000 in Q4 2025, per IDC. That’s peanuts next to iPhone’s 56-60 million quarterly hauls. Manufacturer Luxshare halted production early last year, ads dropped 95% in key markets, and devs are ghosting the platform with only 3,000 apps.
Apple’s pivoting fast. Late 2026 or early 2027 could bring display-free smart glasses to rival Meta’s Ray-Ban AI pair. These bad boys pack cameras for Siri-powered sign translation, music, calls, photos, videos, and navigation – all with all-day battery on a featherweight frame. Users glance at their iPhone for visuals.
But the real prize? Full AR glasses with displays overlaying digital objects on reality, powered by an M-series chip. Cook sees this as iPhone’s heir, per insiders. Like Jobs crushed smartphones in 2007 after others fumbled touchscreens, Apple might lurk until Meta or others pave the way – then drop a flawless version with seamless hardware-software magic.
VR headset sales dipped 14% in H1 2025 (Counterpoint), with Meta grabbing 80%. Apple’s betting big on AR wearables to leapfrog. Temper expectations: Gurman pegs AR glasses at least three years out.