The long-rumored Apple Glass has been completely overshadowed before WWDC 2023. Apple has reportedly been delaying the release of the AR glasses longer and longer, with the latest information putting the release date as early as 2026.

Well, prepare to have that date postponed again. In fact, we may not even put it on the calendar this time.

In an extensive report for Bloomberg, Apple analyst Mark Gurman revealed all the negative clouds looming over the Apple VR/AR headset, which is receiving mixed feedback ahead of WWDC 2023.Reality Pro headset, when it launches, will very likely be the best VR headset on the market, but many worry that it will still fall flat.

But a VR/AR headset should not have been in the plans. As Garman states in his report, Apple's first headset was supposed to be Apple Glasses." Initially imagined as glasses that could be worn all day and not get in the way, Apple's device morphed into a ski goggle-like headset that required a separate battery pack."

The headset was also designed to be used with a battery pack.

And now it appears that Apple CEO Tim Cook may not be able to present that first idea to the world; according to a person familiar with the project, dubbed N421, Apple is "at least four years away."

Unfortunately, the main problem for Apple seems to be that augmented reality technology simply has not reached the level necessary to become mainstream. Garman reports that Apple simply could not make AR glasses "powerful enough to be useful."

And it's not for lack of trying. Cook has been heavily outspoken about his preference for AR glasses, telling a group of students in 2016, "Nobody here - most people here - think it's acceptable to walk in here and sit down and be tied to a computer." Jony Ive, once a member of Apple's industrial design team, reportedly shared this vision and was working on a stand-alone portable device that was as close as possible to Cook's vision.

Despite these efforts, however, Glasses still did not materialize. Instead, a mixed reality headset, dubbed the N301, is expected to appear, which, while it has some AR features, is far from the vision Cook had in mind.

This is yet another delay, and given that the failure of the Apple VR/AR headset could kill Apple's desire to remain in the mixed reality market in the first place, I doubt this will be the last.

In fact, I would be more than surprised if Apple Glasses are ever released - at least until the technology advances. If Apple, with all its resources, can't figure out augmented reality, maybe it's time to hit the reset button.