Apple Smart Glasses said to launch in 2027 with privacy focus

The Apple Smart Glasses were originally scheduled to be announced later this year, but according to Bloomberg, that timeline has been delayed. Apple is currently said to be planning to announce its first competitor to the Meta Smart Glasses ($379 on Amazon) at WWDC in June 2027, with shipments scheduled for late 2027, giving developers several more months to prepare apps for the platform that could be available by launch.

The reason for the delay is reportedly privacy concerns. As the Meta Smart Glasses have shown, some people feel uncomfortable around others wearing smart glasses, since these devices allow users to secretly record videos. Meta’s mixed reputation when it comes to data protection doesn’t exactly help either. For this reason, wearing smart glasses is already prohibited in some courthouses, casinos, public restrooms, schools, hospitals, fitness centers, and playgrounds.

Apple is reportedly making improvements in this area, opting not to include features such as facial recognition or continuous AI monitoring of the surroundings, while also processing as many features as possible directly on the glasses or the connected iPhone rather than in the cloud. Collected data is not to be used for AI training purposes, and unlike with Meta, videos are also not to be viewed by employees. Apple is even said to have considered not including a camera at all or disabling video recording. The Apple Smart Glasses are expected to offer a full day of battery life, constant access to Siri, and features such as phone calls and music playback.