Working through four different frame styles, the options range from a large rectangular shape to a slimmer version, similar to the glasses often worn by Tim Cook. There are also two rounded options, one larger, one smaller.

Apple is equally trying out colours including black, ocean blue and light brown, hence, the design is not final. Apple could choose one style or release more than one, depending on how testing goes.

These glasses will not include a display. Instead, Apple is focusing on simple, everyday functions. Users will be able to take photos and videos, answer calls, listen to music and speak to Siri. The cameras are expected to use oval-shaped lenses.

Apple had earlier explored more advanced mixed reality devices, but those plans have not moved smoothly. Its headset, the Apple Vision Pro, drew attention at launch but couldn’t gain wide use, partly due to its high price and size.

Now, Apple appears to be taking a more practical route. These glasses are lighter and easier to wear in daily life. The idea is to build something people will actually use, rather than something ambitious but difficult to adopt.

Competition is already building as Meta Platforms has partnered with EssilorLuxottica to produce Ray-Ban smart glasses, which are already on sale and have gained some traction. 

Other companies are not standing still, with Google and Samsung Electronics working together on their own glasses, while Snap Inc. plans to release a new version of its Specs in 2026.

Apple’s strategy, at least for now, rests on design and usability. In offering different smart glasses frame styles, it is trying to appeal to a wider group of users, much like it did with the Apple Watch.

The company is still some distance from launch. However, its direction is to start simple, focus on everyday use, and build from there.

The layoffs hit the heart of Meta’s VR gaming. Twisted Pixel Games, Sanzaru Games and Armature Studio are being closed, bringing an end to teams behind titles linked to Deadpool, Asgard’s Wrath and the VR version of Resident Evil 4. 

Work on new features and content for the Supernatural fitness app has also been stopped, although the app itself will continue to run in its current form.

This looks like a retreat as Reality Labs has lost more than $70bn since 2021, driven by heavy spending on headsets, software and in-house studios that failed to reach a mass audience. 

The latest round of cuts affects more than 1,000 roles and removes roughly one in ten staff from the division.

Several projects that never reached the public are also being scrapped. Among them are a virtual reality Harry Potter title reportedly in development and scaled-back work at Camouflaj, the studio behind Batman: Arkham Shadow. These decisions reveal how much Meta is narrowing its focus, away from the VR game studios, among other areas.

VR gaming, once described as an important pillar of the metaverse, is no longer at the centre of the plan. The company is redirecting money and talent towards artificial intelligence and augmented reality hardware, with particular emphasis on its Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. 

Mark Zuckerberg has described these devices as a more realistic path to growth than fully immersive virtual worlds.

The transition is also changing how Meta courts developers. Instead of funding expensive, VR-only titles, the company is encouraging creators from platforms such as Roblox to build lighter, mobile-friendly experiences for Horizon Worlds. 

It is a move away from grand, hardware-heavy ideas towards products that can scale faster and cost less.

The metaverse vision is not gone, but it is being changed to be cheaper, and far less dependent on blockbuster virtual reality games.