Amazon Enters AR Glasses Race Against Meta's Hypernova And Apple's Lagging Vision Pro

Amazon.com AMZN is actively developing two pairs of augmented-reality (AR) glasses, marking its foray into a path treaded by its arch-rivals Meta Platforms META and Apple AAPL, though with mixed response.The company is building one version tailored for its delivery drivers and another designed for consumers, signaling a dual focus on enterprise efficiency and mass-market adoption.Internally codenamed “Jayhawk,” the AR glasses will integrate microphones, speakers, a camera, and a full-color display positioned in one eye, according to Information reported on Wednesday.Also Read: Apple’s Upcoming Chip Aims To Challenge Meta In Smart Glasses Battle: ReportThis will create a hands-free, voice and vision-enabled device that blends digital tools with the real world.Benzinga reached out to the Amazon investor relations team for their take on the report and is awaiting their response.Now, let’s look at the product’s potential rivals.Meta will showcase its first consumer-ready AR smart glasses with display technology at September’s Connect conference, marking a significant step forward for its Reality Labs division and augmented reality ambitions.Meta is preparing to launch the internally codenamed “Hypernova” glasses, which feature a small digital display embedded in the right lens. The display offers approximately 20 degrees of field of view, providing essential information such as text messages. CNBC reported that Meta plans to price the glasses at around $800, positioning them as a premium wearable device.Meta will manufacture the glasses by partnering with EssilorLuxottica, Ray-Ban’s parent company. Due to the thicker frames required to house the components, they could be released under the Prada brand.Meta and Ray-Ban have sold two million pairs of second-generation voice-only glasses since 2023, and Luxottica reports a tripling of smart glasses revenue year-over-year.Meanwhile, Apple is struggling to gain traction with its Vision Pro headset. High pricing and a lack of compelling features have kept adoption sluggish.Even with operating system updates and new apps, the headset has remained a niche product. More than a year after launch, U.S. sales failed to reach one million units.Apple plans to release an updated version with a faster chip later this year. At the same time, a lighter, cheaper model is not likely until 2027—a delay that risks the device becoming outdated amid rapid tech advances.Price Actions: AMZN stock is down 2.93% at $231.33 at last check on Wednesday. META is down 1.46% and AAPL is down 1.88%. Dell Struggles To Protect Margins As Supply Chain Costs Mount Photo: Shutterstock