GoKawiilPaul Jones / Android Authority
TL;DR Apple’s smart glasses are delayed to June 2027.
The company is using the extra time to refine the glasses’ features and messaging around privacy.
It could offer more privacy features than Meta Ray-Bans or the upcoming Samsung smart glasses.
Apple has been working on smart glasses for a long, long time now. While the company was originally expected to announce its entry into the market this year, it has since been delayed to early 2027. Now, a new Bloomberg report gives us some insight into why Apple could be delaying its smart glasses.
According to the report, Apple’s primary concerns with its upcoming smart glasses aren’t just features or Siri integration (though those will be important), but the privacy aspect of its glasses. So far, Meta Ray-Ban glasses are the de facto standard camera-equipped smart glasses, and the privacy implications of those glasses are known far and wide.
The report says that Apple’s engineering and marketing teams are working to develop features and policies to address privacy fears associated with camera-equipped smart glasses. Apple’s glasses will incorporate features already found in Meta’s products, such as the recording LED and the ability to prevent the camera from being used if the LED is covered or obscured, per the report.
However, the company is likely to go beyond those features to further solidify its claim that its glasses respect the privacy of those wearing them and those coming in contact with the wearer. The company could favor on-device processing and will likely explicitly avoid features like facial recognition — something Meta has been in hot water for recently. It could also avoid features like Meta’s “Super Sensing” mode that continuously analyzes the wearer’s surroundings.
Meta may have a solid lead in the smart glasses market, but other brands are also trying to make inroads. Samsung recently showed off its Android XR glasses designed with Warby Parker and Gentle Monster at its Unpacked event. They will also feature protections similar to those seen on Meta’s smart glasses, and will also have to convince users that they’re not a privacy nightmare.
Paul Jones / Android Authority
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