Santa Clara: Apple is accelerating development of AI-powered smart glasses, aiming to bring the product to market by the end of 2026, as part of a broader push into artificial intelligence-driven hardware.
The move comes as the tech giant races to keep pace with rivals in an increasingly competitive AI landscape and shelves plans for a camera-equipped smartwatch.
According to people familiar with the matter, Apple intends to begin large-scale prototype production with overseas suppliers by late 2024. The glasses, internally known as N401, are expected to rival Meta’s popular Ray-Ban smart glasses but be more premium in design and build quality, reports Bloomberg.
The device will feature built-in cameras, microphones, speakers, and integration with Apple’s Siri voice assistant. Users will be able to make phone calls, listen to music, receive real-time translations, and get navigation assistance. A custom Apple-designed chip is also expected to power the device.
Although the glasses will not initially offer full augmented reality (AR) capabilities, long-term plans include releasing true AR spectacles—still believed to be several years away. The smart glasses are being developed by Apple’s Vision Products Group, the same team behind the Vision Pro headset, which is also undergoing work on lighter, more affordable models and a version that connects directly to Macs for low-latency applications.
The project forms part of Apple’s effort to deliver a breakthrough AI device, following concerns the company is falling behind in the field. Its AI platform, Apple Intelligence, has so far lagged competitors such as Meta’s Llama and Google’s Gemini. Current iPhone features like Visual Intelligence rely on partnerships with Google and OpenAI, but Apple is expected to eventually shift towards its own models, according to The Verge.
Internally, there are concerns that shortcomings in Apple’s AI could undermine the success of the smart glasses, particularly as companies like Meta and Google build increasingly powerful models into similar devices. Meta sold over a million pairs of its Ray-Ban smart glasses last year and is planning a version with a built-in display, while Google is partnering with eyewear brands to develop Android XR-enabled glasses.
Apple has also been exploring other wearable concepts. Work had been underway to develop Apple Watches and AirPods with embedded cameras to better sense the world around them. However, the smartwatch project was cancelled this week, though development of camera-equipped AirPods is continuing.
In a related development, OpenAI announced this week it is acquiring io, a hardware start-up co-founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive. The company plans to release its first AI devices next year, which are expected to be screenless and rely on voice and camera input—offering a different take on what the next wave of AI hardware might look like.
Apple, meanwhile, is also said to be preparing its first foldable phone for release in late 2026 and has additional new hardware designs planned for 2027.
While Apple declined to comment on the smart glasses, the company’s evolving product roadmap underscores its intent to regain momentum in AI and wearable tech, even as it recalibrates some of its earlier ambitions.
The company’s AI roadmap is also reflective of a broader industry trend, displaying a shift from traditional screen-based computing toward ambient, wearable devices that interact with users more naturally and contextually.
For Apple, the success of its smart glasses will depend not only on hardware design but also on whether it can match the intelligence and usefulness of its rivals’ AI ecosystems. With competitors advancing rapidly and billions being poured into new AI platforms and products, Apple’s challenge is not only to deliver cutting-edge hardware but to ensure its underlying AI systems are equally powerful and compelling.
