Apple is finally ready to unveil its long-anticipated AI-powered smart glasses — and the stage is WWDC27, scheduled for June next year. According to a new report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the company is "currently aiming" to present the product to the public at its annual developers conference, with a commercial launch expected by late 2027.
The timeline represents a significant delay from the original plan, which targeted a 2026 release. And the primary reason for this delay, according to sources close to the project, is user privacy — an issue that has become a minefield for camera-equipped wearables.
Apple's dilemma is understandable. Meta faced severe criticism, public protests, and even outright bans from establishments over the cameras embedded in its Ray-Ban Stories and later Meta Smart Glasses. The concept of people wearing glasses with cameras in public spaces — bathrooms, locker rooms, restaurants — generated a level of social discomfort that Apple, which has built its marketing around privacy as a core value, wants to avoid at all costs.
According to Gurman's report, Apple is exploring multiple approaches. One is launching the glasses without any camera at all — which would severely limit AI features reliant on computer vision. A more sophisticated option is to include cameras but program them not to record photos or video — they would exist exclusively to "see" the surrounding world and feed AI tools, such as object and place identification. This would be similar to what Apple already plans for its camera-equipped AirPods and would build on the visual intelligence features already in the iPhone.
Beyond these measures, Bloomberg reports that Apple is "prototyping a slew of new hardware and software-related privacy features not available on current products." The company seems determined to solve the privacy problem before bringing the product to market, rather than rushing and fixing later — an approach that contrasts with Meta's strategy.
The glasses won't include any displays but are expected to capture photos, play music, interact with Siri, make phone calls, and more. The design, according to rumors, will be "unique and fashionable" to set it apart from competitors.
The strategy of revealing at WWDC27 with a late-year launch echoes what Apple did with the Vision Pro in 2023: previewing hardware and software months in advance so developers can create apps for the platform. The question remains whether, by prioritizing privacy over speed to market, Apple will sacrifice early sales in the name of a principle not all consumers value equally.
Apple's decision to delay rather than compromise on privacy reflects a philosophy that dates back to the company's earliest days. Steve Jobs famously said Apple cared about the things between the user and the product — the software, the experience, the values. Tim Cook has turned privacy into an explicit banner, differentiating Apple from competitors like Google and Meta whose business models revolve around data collection. Launching smart glasses that generate social discomfort would contradict years of brand positioning. However, the delay also carries a cost: Meta has already sold millions of its Ray-Ban Stories and is on its second generation, collecting real-world usage data that Apple still lacks. By the time Apple's glasses finally reach the market, Meta may have already perfected the formula and captured the most valuable slice of the market — those early adopters who do not prioritize privacy over functionality.
Sources: 9to5Mac, TNW - The Next Web, Neowin
