Apple reportedly decides on a release date for its smart glasses

The smart glasses that Apple is working on — which will directly compete with the Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses and the new Google and Samsung glasses — might have a release date. Apple originally planned to release its pair of glasses later this year, but complications and a late start have meant that the release window had to be pushed back.

Smart glasses coming late 2027

Industry insider Mark Gurman, in his newsletter Power On, reveals that sources inside Apple have claimed that the company’s smart glasses will come out at the very end of 2027. This isn’t set in stone, of course, but that is the release window that Apple is now targeting.

Which means that its smart glasses will come out after the 20th anniversary of the iPhone sees a revolutionary iPhone 20 Pro — the iPhone 19 will be skipped — and another foldable iPhone.

How will Apple’s take differ?

Outgoing Apple CEO Tim Cook was obsessed with bringing smart glasses to market to compete with the Ray-Ban offerings. Like other companies, Apple thinks that glasses might just be the future of smartphones. And Tim Cook shares Mark Zuckerberg's views on the future of computing to an extent.

The company will reportedly be using an in-house design, cutting down on costs and delivering a unique and Apple-like pair of glasses. But perhaps the most important differentiating factor will be Apple’s insistence on user privacy.

The Meta Ray-Ban glasses leak your private moments, so Apple will almost certainly market its late entry into this field as a privacy-first approach, just like it did with AI this year. It’s an approach that will most likely work wonders, as I’m not the only one who demands transparency when it comes to my data.

A strong first impression

If privacy is Apple’s pitch for its glasses next year, then the company will be on strong footing. The first pair of smart glasses won’t have a display, but a true AR model will follow if the first offering is even mildly successful, in my opinion.

However, Meta might be able to rush a consumer version of its Orion smart glasses to shelves in 2027. If it does, then XR (Extended Reality) enthusiasts will be deciding between cutting-edge tech with privacy tradeoffs or something a lot more trustworthy that is behind the times.

I really hope there’s no more delays

Google and Samsung have already released their own glasses this year and other companies are hopping on the bandwagon as well. Apple really needs to make the 2027 release window without any more delays.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Apple’s foray into a market really changes its associated industry. As someone who truly believes that glasses could overtake smartphones in the near future, I cannot wait for Apple to finally join the party so we can all get started.

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