Apple Smart Glasses Are In The Works, But Face Real Problems
Veteran Apple leak provider Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has brought up the subject of Apple smart glasses again, but it sounds like we have a while to wait for them.
'This device isn't close to being ready yet,' Gurman says of the smart glasses, which are already significantly less dynamic than the augmented reality glasses once discussed.
Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarer smart glasses
Ray-Ban
These initial Apple smart glasses are going to be closer to those Meta already sells, in association with Ray-Ban. That means there won't be an in-vision display, and instead your interaction with the glasses will be done in audio form.
The smart glasses project is currently being developed under the 'N50' codename according to Gurman.
And it's a way to give Apple Intelligence another form. The glasses will use a camera to analyze the world around you, letting an AI chat interface comment on what you can see.
Apple already has an iPhone version of this concept in action. It's called Visual Intelligence, and Apple's description offers an idea of what the company's first smart glasses might be used for.
Visual Intelligence can 'do things like look up details about a restaurant or business; have text translated, summarized, or read aloud; identify plants and animals; and more,' says Apple.
Of course, by the time Apple's first smart glasses arrive, it's likely Meta will already have come up with something more advanced. As covered yesterday, Gurman also suggests Meta is racing to get a pair of smart glasses with a display out.
He has previously suggested Apple may not even allow for capture of photos using the screen-free smart glasses, over understandable privacy concerns. But being able to capture photo and video is one of the key uses for the rival Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarer pairs, which have to date sold upwards of two million units.
Limited as well as late to market may not make for an attractive combo.
It won't help that Apple has lagged significantly behind the competition in getting its Apple Intelligence AI ready for prime time. While elements of the system launched in October 2024, delays in the release of crucial elements have even seen Apple hit with a lawsuit.
It was filed last month in a U.S. District Court according to Axios, claiming Apple's marketing constituted false advertising, that Apple promoted AI features 'that did not exist or were materially misrepresented.'
Apple is now not expected to release the next-generation Siri with more chatbot-like fluidity until 2026.
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