Apple is laying groundwork to turn its long-rumored smart glasses into a health and fitness platform, according to a recent job listing highlighted by Bloomberg News’ Mark Gurman.

In his Power On newsletter, Gurman pointed to an opening in Apple’s Vision Products Group for a “strategic product design leader.” The role is tasked with helping “define the future of health, well-being and fitness experiences across vision products.” The successful candidate would “translate ambiguous opportunities at the intersection of spatial computing, wearables, consumer health, and human behavior into clear first-party product direction.”

The posting, which lists locations in Los Angeles and San Jose, also emphasizes experience with “sensor-driven experiences,” digital health or fitness products, personalization, and multimodal interfaces. Cult of Mac noted that the Los Angeles option may reflect proximity to Apple Fitness+ studios in Santa Monica.

This builds on earlier ambitions for the Vision Pro. Gurman reported that Apple had explored an Apple Fitness+ experience on the headset that would let users follow workout classes while body-tracking cameras analyzed form. Those plans were shelved due to technical challenges and the device’s weight, which made it impractical for exercise.

Smart glasses, expected to be a lighter, more everyday alternative similar in concept to Meta’s Ray-Ban AI glasses, offer a better form factor for such features over time. Sensors, cameras, and accelerometers could eventually support workout tracking, form analysis (for activities like weightlifting or yoga), and other biometric insights.

Gurman and other reports indicate these advanced health capabilities are unlikely to debut with the first-generation glasses, currently anticipated around late 2027 (with a possible earlier reveal). Instead, Apple is expected to follow its pattern with the Apple Watch and AirPods: launch the core hardware platform first, then expand health and fitness features across subsequent generations.

The job listing provides one of the clearest public signals yet of Apple’s longer-term vision for its eyewear and other vision products as potential companions to the Watch and AirPods in the company’s health ecosystem. As always with Apple rumors, timelines and final features remain subject to change.

MacDailyNews Take: We feel like we’ve been waiting for Apple’s AR smart glasses for forever!

The Apple Glasses will be the key as holding up slabs of glass as “windows” is suboptimal. When we’re running in a race, for example, we don’t want to have to hold an iPhone or even glance at an Apple Watch, but with a pair of Apple Glasses constantly overlaying time, pace, splits, etc. it’ll be ideal! — MacDailyNews, September 6, 2019

‎
Please help support MacDailyNews — and enjoy subscriber-only articles, comments, chat, and more — by subscribing to our Substack: macdailynews.substack.com. Thank you!

Support MacDailyNews at no extra cost to you by using this link to shop at Amazon.

The post Apple eyes health and fitness features for rumored smart glasses, job listing suggests appeared first on MacDailyNews.

A new Apple job listing points toward fitness features coming to the company's rumored smart glasses, powered by onboard sensors.

(via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)

Apple’s popular MacBook Air is experiencing significant supply shortages, while the company explores turning its upcoming smart glasses and headsets into health and fitness devices, according to reporting from Bloomberg News‘ Mark Gurman in his Power On newsletter.

MacBook Air Hit by Memory Shortage

The global shortage of memory chips, driven by surging demand from AI data centers, has now reached Apple’s highest-volume Mac. Retail sources describe inventory of the MacBook Air as more constrained than they can recall. Online orders through Apple’s site show delivery estimates stretching into late August, with some higher-RAM or customized configurations delayed into September.

The crunch previously affected lower-volume models such as the Mac mini and Mac Studio. Apple has already raised prices on Macs and iPads (including a $200 increase that took the MacBook Air’s starting price to $1,299 in the U.S.) to offset higher component costs. The company is also exploring sourcing memory from Chinese suppliers for devices sold in China and is prioritizing production and sales of the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro ahead of an expected M6 refresh later in the fall. Marketing for the back-to-school season has been adjusted, with greater emphasis on the Pro and warnings that the MacBook Air is “subject to availability.” The timing is particularly challenging, as the MacBook Air is typically a strong seller during that period.

Health and Fitness Ambitions for Glasses and Headsets

Separately, Apple is working to position its future smart glasses and headsets as health and fitness devices. The company’s Vision Products Group is hiring a strategic product design leader to “define the future of health, well-being, and fitness experiences across vision products,” seeking candidates experienced in digital health products and sensor-driven features.

Earlier plans to bring similar capabilities to the Vision Pro, including a Fitness+ experience that would use body-tracking technology to analyze movements during workouts, were dropped due to technological hurdles and the headset’s weight. Future lighter glasses could incorporate a range of sensors to track movement, form, posture, and other fitness data without compromising comfort, Gurman reports. These features are not expected in the first-generation smart glasses (anticipated around 2027) but are part of longer-term plans that could complement devices such as the Apple Watch.

These developments highlight ongoing supply-chain pressures in consumer electronics caused by AI infrastructure buildouts, alongside Apple’s continued expansion of its health and wearable ecosystem beyond the Watch and AirPods.

MacDailyNews Take: Lighter Apple smart glasses will enable a huge range of applications. We can’t wait!

The Apple Glasses will be the key as holding up slabs of glass as “windows” is suboptimal. When we’re running in a race, for example, we don’t want to have to hold an iPhone or even glance at an Apple Watch, but with a pair of Apple Glasses constantly overlaying time, pace, splits, etc. it’ll be ideal! — MacDailyNews, September 6, 2019

‎
Please help support MacDailyNews — and enjoy subscriber-only articles, comments, chat, and more — by subscribing to our Substack: macdailynews.substack.com. Thank you!

Support MacDailyNews at no extra cost to you by using this link to shop at Amazon.

The post Apple faces MacBook Air shortages amid AI-driven memory crunch; eyes health features for future glasses and headsets appeared first on MacDailyNews.