Apple's Upcoming Chip Aims To Challenge Meta In Smart Glasses Battle: Report

Apple Inc. AAPL is developing new chips that could intensify its rivalry with Meta Platforms Inc.’s META Ray-Ban glasses.

Meta’s latest Ray-Ban smart glasses, launched in September, start at $299 and feature Meta AI, a camera, call-making capabilities, and built-in speakers.

The iPhonemaker’s chips will serve as the brains for devices, including its first smart glasses, Macs, and artificial intelligence servers, Bloomberg reported on Thursday.

Also Read: Meta Planning To Drop $1,000 Smart Glasses With Hand Gesture Control As It Takes On Apple: Report

Apple’s silicon team, which is developing the chips, assumed importance after it dumped Intel Corp INTC processors for its in-house Mac chips in 2020.

The glasses processor is based on Apple Watch chips, which require less energy than the ones in iPhones, iPads, and Macs. The processor will be able to control the glasses’ multiple cameras.

Apple targets the commercialization of the processor by 2026 or 2027.

Apple is exploring non-AR glasses that use cameras to scan the surrounding environment and rely on AI to assist users.

February reports indicated that the M5 chip, likely to power Apple’s upcoming MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro, has entered mass production.

The Vision Pro will likely benefit most from the M5 chip, especially with the addition of Apple Intelligence features to the spatial computer, which the current M2-powered model lacks. The M5 chip will likely leverage the 3nm N3P architecture.

It is worth noting that Meta sold 1 million sets of its Ray-Ban glasses in 2024 and its aggregate virtual and augmented reality investment will likely surpass $100 billion in 2025.

Price Action: AAPL shares are trading higher by 0.41% at $198.29 at last check on Friday.

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