Apple Plans to Out-Fashion Meta’s Smart Glasses
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By all accounts, Apple put development of the Vision Pro on hold last year as it doubled down on getting new smart glasses to market. Now, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has some insight into what Apple’s take on intelligent spectacles might actually look like.
To be clear, Apple has effectively shelved the dream of “Apple Glass”, the full augmented reality smart glasses that were expected to arrive a few years ago. Those never made it beyond the very preliminary stages, and at some point, Apple realized the technology just wasn’t ready to do them properly. That’s not too surprising, considering the augmented reality headset that Apple ended up giving us weighs well over a pound and costs $3,500.
Apple realized that if it wanted to do something more lightweight, it was going to have to take a page out of Meta’s playbook and create something akin to the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. The result of that is a product that’s reportedly been in the works for well over a year, code-named N50.
This will be a pair of smart glasses without any display technology, focused instead on providing another form of human interface to an iPhone, with cameras for photo and video capture as well as Apple’s visual intelligence feature to recognize and interpret real-world objects, plus microphones for Siri and calls, and open-ear audio playback.
The N50 product is reportedly still on track for a 2027 debut, but what’s less clear is precisely how Apple plans to differentiate itself from the competition here. After all, Meta has a solid head start, and even Amazon has entered the fray with its Echo Frames. This isn’t an area where Apple is going to be able to define the market like it did with the iPhone and Apple Watch, so instead it’s going to have to try and carve out a space in it that’s uniquely Apple.
In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Gurman suggests one tactic Apple may take is going back to the “fashion-forward” roots that made the Apple Watch stand out from a pack of relatively pedestrian smartwatches and fitness accessories. That includes going with a higher-end build and design that could make these glasses look less utilitarian and more fashionable.
To accomplish this, Gurman says Apple will eschew partnerships with other companies for frames and “go at it alone in terms of design.” By contrast, Meta relies heavily on EssilorLuxottica SA, while Google and Samsung are teamed up with Warby Parker. This should allow Apple to come up with something both more unique and designed from the ground up for the needs of smart glasses.
Apple’s design team has whipped up at least four different styles and plans to launch some or all of them, I’m told, as well as many color options. The latest units are made from a high-end material called acetate, which is known to be more durable and luxurious than the standard plastic used by many brands.
Mark Gurman
Gurman’s sources say Apple is currently testing a large rectangular frame akin to Ray-Ban Wayfarers, a slimmer rectangular design that echoes Tim Cook’s glasses, and two models with oval or circular frames in larger and smaller sizes.
Unsurprisingly, Apple also wants to create a design that’s iconically Apple, so that its glasses are instantly recognizable, much like AirPods and the Apple Watch. While those have inspired plenty of copycat products — and the glasses likely will also — Apple wants to make sure it’s seen as the original.
Design aside, Apple also expects that it will be able to leverage its engineering strengths to do something completely different from what its rivals like Meta have been able to accomplish. After all, Apple makes some pretty powerful chips in-house, and custom-engineered silicon will give smart glasses a huge leg up. Deep iPhone integration is also a given, although it remains to be seen how far it will be able to go with that in a world where regulators are increasingly demanding the company open everything up to third parties; Apple’s entry into the smart glasses market is likely to persuade the EU to demand that Meta be granted the same level of “interoperability” with the iPhone that Apple’s own product will enjoy.
According to Gurman, Apple still hopes to unveil its smart glasses within the next year, but the actual release won’t likely arrive until mid-2027, at the earliest. Apple is also said to be working on other “AI input” wearables, including a pendant and camera-equipped AirPods, all of which could arrive in the next 12–18 months.
[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]
