Apple is reportedly exploring the development of smart glasses, launching an internal initiative to analyze existing products and gather feedback from its own employees. This move signals the company’s potential entry into the rapidly expanding market for wearable tech, following the lead of Meta Platforms.
The project, internally codenamed Atlas, began last week and involves Apple’s Product Systems Quality team, which is part of the hardware engineering division. The study focuses on gathering input from employees through a series of user feedback sessions on current smart glasses available in the market. Additional focus groups are expected to follow, according to sources familiar with the matter, who requested anonymity due to the confidential nature of the project.
In a communication to select employees at Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, the team emphasized the importance of testing products that appeal to a wide range of users. “Testing and developing products that all can come to love is very important to what we do at Apple,” the email said. “This is why we are looking for participants to join us in an upcoming user study with current-market smart glasses.”
Apple has a history of conducting internal studies with its own employees to assess consumer trends and preferences, keeping plans under wraps until it’s ready to announce new products. The company typically uses these studies to gauge interest in new categories before committing to a full-scale launch.
While the company has not publicly confirmed its intentions in the smart glasses space, this latest initiative suggests that Apple is making significant strides toward developing its own wearable device. The move would potentially place Apple in direct competition with Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses, though a finished product is likely still years away.
This latest internal project follows other recent studies, such as Apple’s exploration of an app for people with pre-diabetes, showing the company’s ongoing push to expand its health-focused offerings.