Apple is aiming to enter a new product category by unveiling its first pair of smart glasses in late 2026 or early 2027, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In any case, he expects the glasses to be released at some point next year.
Like the Meta Ray-Bans, Gurman said Apple's glasses will have built-in cameras that let users capture photos and videos. He also expects the glasses to have speakers and microphones for music, phone calls, and notifications announced by Siri.
In his newsletter this week, Gurman added that Apple's strategy is to outdo competitors in two ways: tight iPhone integration and premium build quality.
He did not provide too many details about the iPhone integration, but he does expect the cameras on the glasses to be able to feed data to Siri and Apple Intelligence, and this should help to improve features such as turn-by-turn walking directions.
As for build quality, he said Apple is designing its own plastic frames, with the company allegedly testing at least four potential designs:
- A larger rectangular frame, similar to Ray-Ban's Wayfarers
- A slimmer rectangular design, similar to the glasses worn by Apple CEO Tim Cook
- Larger oval or circular frames
- Smaller oval or circular frames
Apple is exploring a range of color options, including black, ocean blue, and light brown, and the glasses may have vertically-oriented oval camera lenses, he said.
Meta uses glasses frames from Ray-Ban, the popular brand owned by Italian company EssilorLuxottica, while Google and Samsung are reportedly working on smart glasses in partnership with the American eyewear company Warby Parker.
Unlike the latest generation of Meta Ray-Bans, Gurman does not expect Apple's first smart glasses to be equipped with an in-lens augmented reality display.
In addition to smart glasses, other all-new products that Apple is expected to release this year include a foldable iPhone and a smart home hub, the latter of which might be accompanied by a Face ID doorbell and a security camera/sensor.
